


Upward Spiral

by orphan_account



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Absolute fluff, Alpha Dean, Alpha Gabriel, Alpha Lucifer, Alpha Michael, Alpha Sam Winchester, Alpha/Alpha, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Beta Anna, Daddy Cas, Destiel - Freeform, Fluff, Foster parents Gabe and Sam, Insecure Castiel, Kinda, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Omega Castiel, Pregnant Castiel, Pregnant Sex, Pregnant with twins, Sabriel - Freeform, Single Parent Castiel, Soldier Dean Winchester, Step-parents, Twins, absent father crowley, brief mention of wartime violence, cas gets the flu, creepy zachariah, elopement, flirtatious bela, flirtatious dean, lucifer is called luci, lucifer is nice, michael keeps getting divorced and remarried, omega naomi, stepdad dean, tee ball game
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-15
Updated: 2015-11-29
Packaged: 2018-04-09 05:26:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 28
Words: 45,352
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4335593
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>From the moment that Lieutenant Winchester meets single-parent Castiel, it's an upward spiral that will change life for them and their entire family. </p><p>Series of snapshots about an Alpha meeting and falling for an Omega.</p><p>Formerly "Papa Cas Verse"</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The View's Better Out Here

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean hummed thoughtfully and nodded. "I suppose you're right. Might be kind of awkward to take my mom along on our first date. How about we go out, just the two of us sometime?"
> 
> Cas's mouth dropped open and his entire face lit up bright red. "Uhhh-"

Dean strode into his mother's pediatrics practice on a sunny Thursday morning, humming softly to himself. He glanced around the small waiting room and smiled. God, he'd missed this place. Well, not just this place, but every place he associated with his family. 

He drew in a quick breath through his nose, smiling at the familiar scent that he'd associated with his mother since childhood. He paused after a moment, sniffing again. There was a new scent filtering through the familiar blend. A very nice scent, comforting and appealing all at once. 

He scented the air again, and realized that the scent was coming from the back. He headed toward the door that would take him to the back hall, and his hand was on the doorknob, when he heard someone call from behind him, "Sir, you can't go back there." 

He spun around to find the receptionist looking at him sternly from behind the glass. Where had he even come from? He approached the counter, smiling at the omega. As he drew closer, he subtly scented the air and froze. The scent was coming from the receptionist, and damn if the man wasn't gorgeous to boot. He had big, blue eyes, pronounced cheek bones, and the prettiest mouth Dean could remember seeing in a long time. Dean's eyes flicked to the omega's neck to check for a mating mark, but he found none. Awesome. 

Dean's smile turned flirtatious as he leaned up against the counter, "Hi. I'm Dean Winchester." 

The omega's eyes widened in recognition of the name, and he smiled, "Lieutenant Winchester. Welcome home." 

"Thank you," Dean leaned down to read the omega's name tag, "Castiel. It's good to be back. Listen, I'm here to take my mom out to lunch." 

"Ah, yes! She had mentioned lunch plans." Castiel recalled, then indicated toward one of the chairs in the waiting area, "Why don't you wait there while I let her know you've arrived." 

"Or I could just wait in her office?" Dean suggested, raising his eyebrows hopefully. Cas shook his head. 

"Sorry, policy says no." The omega sounded apologetic, and Dean sighed internally. So, amazing scent, but total hardass for rule enforcement. 

"That's okay; the view's better out here, anyway." Dean winked at Cas, and the man blushed. But he didn't flirt back. 

"I'll, uh, just call her now." Castiel said, picking up the phone from its cradle and pressing in Mary's extension. Dean frowned as he studied the top of the omega's head. Yeah, it had been a while since he'd tried flirting with anyone, but he didn't think he was that rusty. Maybe the guy was dating somebody?

After a moment of speaking softly into the headset, Castiel looked back up at Dean and smiled, "She's on her way out."

"Thanks, Cas." Dean's tone was nothing but friendly, but the omega blushed again and nodded. Yeah, there was no way Cas was dating someone else. Dean's smile notched up a bit as he realized that. 

Cas quickly looked back down at the file in front of him and began typing into the computer. Dean watched him for a couple moments before speaking again, "Hey, maybe you'd like to join us?" 

Cas froze and slowly brought his eyes up to meet Dean's, hesitant and unsure. "I wouldn't want to impose on your time with your mom. I know how much she's missed you." 

Dean hummed thoughtfully and nodded. "I suppose you're right. Might be kind of awkward to take my mom along on our first date. How about we go out, just the two of us sometime?" Cas's mouth dropped open and his entire face lit up bright red. "Uhhh-"

Cas's eloquent reply was cut off by Mary stepping out of the back area, her smile warm and welcoming as she moved forward to pull her son into a warm hug, "There's my handsome alpha soldier!" 

Cas giggled at Dean's bright blush. 

"Mom!" Dean groaned, "you're embarrassing me in front of your cute receptionist!" But he smiled as he wrapped his arms around Mary and hugged her tightly. 

"I'm your mother; it's my job." She reminded him. She smiled at Cas, "When's my next appointment, cute receptionist?" 

"You have Tyler coming in at noon." Cas said, and she nodded, looping her arm through her son's. 

"Well, we'd better get going then." She pulled Dean out the door before he could follow up with Cas about the date. 

As soon as the door had shut behind them, she arched an eyebrow at her son, "Cute receptionist, huh?" Dean blushed but did nothing to hide his grin. 

Mary considered telling him about Alfie, but decided against it. It wasn't her place to tell.  
\----------------------  
"Papa's home!" Cas called later when he returned home on his own lunch break. He grinned as Anna walked in from the den, Alfie against her hip. He took his tiny son from the beta and buried his nose in his hair, inhaling that fresh, clean scent that only pups have. He began to press sloppy kisses against his pup's chubby cheeks, smiling at his delighted squeals and giggles. 

"Mom called. She says that Michael's coming into town this weekend with his new mate, and we all need to be there." Anna informed him as they moved into the kitchen. Cas rolled his eyes; Michael got a new mate every couple of years, at least. 

Well, at least he has someone, the unhelpful part of Cas's brain supplied. Cas sighed, immediately chastising himself. He had Alfie, and that was enough; it had always been enough. One flirtatious alpha with bright green eyes and a handsome smile didn't change anything. 

Cas knew from personal experience that alphas didn't go for single-parent omegas, and Dean Winchester, no matter how much he may have flirted, would not be an exception to that rule. As soon as he saw Alfie, he'd change his mind, and Cas would be the one to suffer.


	2. The Gentle Nudge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mary sighed and headed back to her office, her heart heavy. She considered telling Dean about Alfie, just to see what his reaction would be. But she knew it would be wrong; it wasn't her place to tell. But that didn't mean she couldn't give things a gentle nudge, right?

Cas was busy typing in Mary's notes from her last appointment when the bell above the door jingled, alerting him to a new customer. He glanced up from his computer screen, his smile already in place to greet their next patient. However, instead of the eight-year-old boy with a sprained wrist that he was expecting, he was met with bright green eyes and a handsome smile that belonged to someone much older than eight years old.

 

"Heya, Cas!" Dean greeted, leaning against the counter. 

 

A bright blush stained Cas's cheeks, but he still offered a small, hesitant smile. "Hello, Dean." 

 

"How's your day going?" The alpha asked, and Cas nodded. 

 

"It's going very well." He didn't add that seeing the handsome alpha had already made it exponentially better. "How about you?" 

 

Apparently, Dean held none of the same reserve as Cas. He readily announced, "It was good, but now that I've seen you, it's gotten a million times better." He winked, and Cas's blush worsened. 

 

"Um, are you here to see your mom?" Cas asked, dodging the compliment. Dean looked slightly disappointed for a quick moment, but then his eyes were bright and happy again. 

 

"Kind of. I stopped by to see if she wanted some coffee; I'm headed over to that little coffee place on Ninth, figured since I was going right past..." He shrugged, and Cas nodded. Why did Dean have to always be so nice and perfect and everything that Cas couldn't ever have? 

 

"I'll page her to check," Cas murmured, reaching for the phone. He could feel the alpha's eyes on him as he spoke, and he struggled to keep his voice from wavering. After speaking to Mary briefly, he hung up and smiled up at Dean. "She wants a large vanilla latte with soy, please." 

 

"Large vanilla latte with soy," Dean repeated. "Got it. And you?" 

 

"Uhhh..." Cas was caught off guard for a moment. Dean wanted to buy him coffee? He chased the thought away. Dean was just being nice; it wasn't like he actually wanted to specifically buy Cas anything. He offered a small smile, "That's kind of you to offer, but, um, don't feel like you _have_ to get me something." 

 

Dean winked at him. "Cas, it's not every day I get to buy coffee for a gorgeous omega." 

 

Cas ducked his head, his blush returning full-force. "Um...okay. Maybe a caramel mocha?

 

"Sure! What size?" Dean asked. Cas shrugged. 

 

"Any will do," Cas assured him. 

 

"Okay, I'll be back in a jiffy!" Dean promised, then he was back out the door. 

 

"Well, that was exciting," Mary's voice drifted from behind him, and Cas spun around to find her standing in the doorway. 

 

His eyes widened and he held out his hands in front of him in an appeasing manner. "I promise I'm not encouraging him." 

 

 

"Oh, I can see that," Mary replied. Her eyes narrowed as she studied him intently. "What I want to know is why." 

 

Cas's hands fell back into his lap, and he stared down at them. "You know why," he mumbled. 

 

"No, actually, I don't," Mary admitted, her voice heated. "Why in the world would you keep avoiding him like this? What, is he not good enough for a family like the Novaks?" She wondered.

 

Cas's head shot up, his eyes wide. "No! Nothing like that at all! If anything, he's to good for us...for me..." He trailed off, his voice reflecting his hurt.

 

"Well, if that isn't the most ridiculous thing!" Mary huffed. "Castiel, believe me when I say that I would not allow any ol' omega near my son; he needs someone special, someone steady and secure. If that doesn't describe you, then I'll be a monkey's uncle." 

 

Cas smiled at the words, but his eyes were still sad. "Thank you for your kind words, Mary. Even if they were true, I still couldn't say yes." 

 

Mary looked frustrated, her tone sharp when she asked, "And why not? It's obvious that you're attracted to him; he's attracted to you. You're both good people who need a mate. What possible reason could there be for turning him down?" 

 

The omega sighed heavily and shook his head. "Do you know how many times I've met an alpha and fallen for him and his flirtations, and right when I think, _wow this might go somewhere_ , he finds out about Alfie, and then he's just gone?"

 

Mary's face softened with understanding, her eyes becoming compassionate. "Castiel..." She murmured. 

 

Cas cut her off. "Three, Mary. Three times! And I know that might not seem like a lot to you, but to me, it's too many. My heart gets broken every fucking time, and then I have to go home to Alfie and act like everything's okay, like we're going to be totally fine, that we'll somehow make it without an alpha."

 

"Cas, my son..." Mary tried, but Cas shook his head. 

 

"I can't do that anymore, Mary. I can't get my hopes up, only to get them smashed to little pieces again. My heart can't take anymore." 

 

"Castiel, I didn't know!" Mary assured him. "But I do know my son, and I know that he isn't like those other men. He won't leave you just cause you have a pup!" 

 

"Look, I appreciate your faith in your son, I do. But those other men didn't do anything wrong, just like Dean won't do anything wrong when he leaves. No alpha wants to support another alpha's pup. It's just the way it is. So while I think it's very flattering that your son finds me attractive...it can't go anywhere." 

 

"Cas, at least give him..." Mary tried, but right then the bell above the door jingled. Cas spun around to greet the newcomers, a wide smile plastered onto his face. 

 

"Hey, Jason! How's that wrist doing?" 

 

Mary sighed and headed back to her office, her heart heavy. She considered telling Dean about Alfie, just to see what his reaction would be. But she knew it would be wrong; it wasn't her place to tell. But that didn't mean she couldn't give things a gentle nudge, right? 

 

When Dean returned with her coffee, she pulled him to the back with a small smirk. "Do you still go running every morning?"

 

"Yeah. Why?" 

 

"I feel like you may want to try the track around the park tomorrow, possibly around 10 in the morning," she suggested. "You might see someone you know. He, uh, tends to spend his Wednesday mornings there."

 

A small smile tugged at Dean's lips. "You know, I just might try that." 

 

"Good," Mary murmured. "Now go say bye to Cas and get out of here." 

 

"Love you, mom," Dean said, leaning down to peck her on the cheek. 

 

"Love you too, baby." 

 

Dean walked back out to the lobby area and paused by Cas's desk. "So, Cas, I'll, uh, see ya around?" 

 

Cas gave a shy smile and gestured around the waiting area. "Well, you know where to find me." 

 

"I certainly do," Dean assured him with a grin and a wink. 

 

Cas watched him stride out the front door, his stomach fluttering. He shook his head to clear it and returned to his work. It didn't help to dwell on things—or people—he couldn't have.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know; I said I was done with this one...and I totally was! But then I started reading back through it, and I thought, "You know, I really wish I knew more about what happened before they started dating." And then my brain, being the helpful thing it is, said, "Dumbass, you're the writer. If you want to know more about what happened before they started dating, you gotta write that shit yourself." And then I was like, "But, Brain, I told them I was done with that fic!!" and then I realized, "Wait, I do what I want! If I want to add three more fucking chapters to my fic, I'll add three more fucking chapters to my fic." So, I'm adding three new chapters and editing some of the existing one, and changing around the order, as well. So, in a nutshell, check out the earlier chapters, for new additions, and then the later chapters that mention those earlier chapters (specifically chapter 24). Okay, thanks for your understanding. Love you all bunches. Byeeee!


	3. He Must Get That From His Papa

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean knew there wasn’t a mate; there were never any alpha or beta scents mixed in with that delicious, soft scent that smelled like bonfires and apple pie and family.
> 
> Now, seeing Cas seated on a picnic blanket in the park, the family scent made sense.

“Cas?”

The omega’s head shot up at his name, and he smiled at the alpha who’d stopped near his blanket.

“Dean, I didn’t expect to see you today. How’s the run going?” He asked as he took in the running shorts and top. Wow, people should not look that good when they were sweaty.

“Good. I almost didn’t recognize you out of your uniform.” Dean teased, and Cas blushed.

“Well, your mom is a pretty laid-back employer; she lets me wear whatever I want on my days off.” Cas pointed out. Dean grinned at that, pleased that Cas was actually flirting back.

Ever since he’d returned from his third active duty tour the previous month and met the omega who worked for his mom’s medical practice, he’d been going crazy. From the very first time they had met, Cas had smiled and blushed as the alpha had flirted shamelessly, but he hadn’t flirted back. It drove Dean insane because he could sense that Cas was interested, but he never reciprocated.

Dean knew there wasn’t a mate; there were never any alpha or beta scents mixed in with that delicious, soft scent that smelled like bonfires and apple pie and family.

Now, seeing Cas seated on a picnic blanket in the park, the family scent made sense. The small pup stood behind Cas, pulling at Cas’s ears and staring up at Dean uncertainly.

“Don’t be shy, baby.” Cas soothed, pulling the child out from behind him. The toddler stumbled for a couple steps, but eventually allowed himself to be pulled to sit in front of his daddy. The child’s wide blue eyes never left Dean.

Cas smiled up at Dean as he murmured into the toddler’s ear, “Alfie, this is Dean. He’s a friend of papa’s. Dean, this is my son Alfie.”

Dean settled down on the opposite side of the blanket and held his hand out to Alfie. The toddler leaned forward to scent the air around Dean, his little nose twitching. He was so busy sniffing that he didn’t realize how far forward he’d leaned, and he tumbled over onto his stomach. Cas, who’d been staring at Dean and his too-green eyes and his perfect cheekbones, immediately blushed and reached down to pull up his son. But the toddler had other ideas as he crawled over to Dean to settle in his lap and play with his ears.

“I think he likes you.” Cas observed, and Dean smiled.

He winked at the omega, “He must get that from his papa.”

Cas blushed but nodded his agreement as he said, “Yeah, he must.” And Dean couldn’t help the triumphant smile that spread across his face.


	4. If I Don't Have a Choice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Um, yeah. I was wondering if maybe you wanted to grab dinner sometime," Dean rushed out, a soft blush rising on his cheeks.   
> Cas gaped at him, his eyes wide and disbelieving. Had he really just... 
> 
> After several long moments, Cas finally found his voice again. "I can't...right now." 
> 
> Dean's face fell. "Oh, I see."

Humming softly to himself, Cas walked from the back office back up to his reception desk, a stack of heavy patient files in his arms. He glanced up and let out a yelp, nearly dropping the folders when he saw Dean standing at the counter. 

 

"Dean!" He cried, his heart hammering in his chest. "I didn't hear you come in." 

 

"Sorry! I, uh, figured you would've heard the bell," the alpha explained with an apologetic smile. 

 

"It's okay," Cas assured him. "How did the rest of your run go the other day?" 

 

"Awesome! How was the rest of your morning?" 

 

"Good. We always have a lot of fun at the park," Cas explained. 

 

"Alfie must love it out there," Dean murmured, and Cas nodded. 

 

"Yeah, apparently being very active is normal for two-year-olds," Cas joked. Dean laughed, loud and open, and Cas couldn't stop the pleased feeling that spread through him. 

 

Dean smiled at him then, his green eyes sparkling at Cas like he was the best thing he'd ever seen, like he was something more than a simple omega receptionist. It was a dangerous look, one that promised all sorts of amazing possibilities, possibilities that Cas would never have. Cas tore his gaze away, forcing himself to look down at his computer screen instead. 

 

"Um, I should call Mary up here so you can see her," he offered, reaching for the phone.

 

"Actually, I came by to see you," Dean admitted as he ran a hand over the back of his neck. 

 

"Me?" Cas asked, his eyes widening. 

 

"Um, yeah. I was wondering if maybe you wanted to grab dinner sometime," Dean rushed out, a soft blush rising on his cheeks. 

 

Cas gaped at him, his eyes wide and disbelieving. Had he really just... 

 

After several long moments, Cas finally found his voice again. "I can't...right now." 

 

Dean's face fell. "Oh, I see." 

 

"It's not that I don't want to," Cas rushed to assure him. "Trust me, I really, really want to. But, I mean..." He glanced away before looking back at Dean. "I just have so much happening right now. I mean, between Alfie and work, I have, like, no free time." Cas knew he was babbling, but he couldn't seem to help himself. "And my brother's coming back into town with his new mate, so there's that to deal with. And Alfie's getting into this weird stage where he likes throwing things, like food and toys. And my car's started making these weird noises..." He finally ran out of steam, trailing off into awkward silence.

 

"Okay, so you're busy. Who isn't?" Dean reasoned. "Cas, you said you wanted to do this! Just try one date." 

 

Cas nibbled at his lower lip, his eyes uncertain. "I just don't know..." He whispered. 

 

Dean studied him for a moment, weighing his options. It was obvious that Cas wanted to say yes, but it was obvious that he also had other reasons for turning Dean down, reasons that he wasn't willing to share with the alpha yet. But he would, eventually. Dean just had to be patient until whatever misgivings Cas held were gone. 

 

Instead of pushing further, Dean asked, "You said your car was making weird noises?" 

 

Cas seemed surprised at the abrupt change of subject, but he allowed it. He nodded. "Yeah, but I haven't had a chance to get it to a mechanic yet." 

 

Dean smiled. "I can take a look, if you'd like." 

 

"Are you sure?" Cas wondered, and Dean nodded. 

 

"Yeah, I work at Singer's shop right down the street. Why don't you bring your car by this afternoon when you get off work? I can take a look at it then." 

 

"Um...okay," Cas agreed, still sounding hesitant. "I finish up around 3 today, and then I have to stop and pick up Alfie from the sitter first." 

 

"Sounds perfect," Dean said. "I'll see you around 3:30." 

 

\------------------

 

Dean climbed out of the car and walked over to where Cas and Alfie sat in the waiting area. "It's your carburetor's accelerator pump." 

 

"Okay..." Cas murmured, his eyes squinting. "I have absolutely no idea what that is..." 

 

Dean chuckled and shook his head. "It's okay. I can replace it for you, but it'll take about a day because I'll have to go get the right part for this model." 

 

"Okay, sure. How much is that going to cost?" Cas asked. 

 

"Don't worry about that," Dean assured him. 

 

"Dean..." Cas chided, his expression stern. 

 

Dean shook his head, "Look, Cas, it'll cost little to nothing for me." 

 

"Dean, I don't like charity." 

 

"Well, this isn't charity," the alpha countered. "This is a thank you for all the help you've given Mom." 

 

Cas let out a sigh. "You're not going to let me pay, are you?" 

 

"Nope!" Dean responded, popping the P. 

 

Cas sighed and shook his head, but a small smile played across his mouth. "I guess if I have no choice." 

 

"You don't. Now come on," he said, holding a hand out to Alfie. The pup readily moved forward to grab it. "I'll drive you two home." 

 

Cas stared at the alpha holding his pup's hand, his heart offering a dangerous little flip at the picture they presented. Right there in that moment, he saw everything he wanted, everything he could have. How the hell was that supposed to help his resolution to _not_ drag Dean into their life?

 

"That's okay. I can call us a cab or something," Cas assured him. "I don't want to inconvenience you." 

 

Dean rolled his eyes. "Cas, you and I both know that spending time with you would never be an inconvenience." 

 

Cas blushed and looked down at his son who was staring up at Dean. He took his son's free hand so that Alfie was held between them both. He thought about Mary's words from a few days before. _Give him a chance._ He was being unfair to Dean, to them both, by holding out. But he had to be sure, 100% sure before he let this go any further. 

 

"What about with both of us, me and Alfie? Would that be an inconvenience?" 

 

Dean looked down at Alfie, his smile soft and sincere. He glanced back up at Cas. "Nope, never." 

 

Cas smiled then, wide and bright and beautiful. "You know, I think I will take you up on that dinner offer." 

 

Dean knew he looked like a total dork when he fist pumped the air and gave a small whoop, but he could care less. From the way Cas giggled and Alfie laughed, he could tell they didn't care either.


	5. I Owe You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I bet you twenty bucks you’re wrong,” Anna challenged.

_August, 2013_

_”Maybe I shouldn’t go,” Cas said, glancing down at his phone as if about to make the call to cancel right that second._

_Anna sighed and shook her head. “Cas, this boy has been running himself ragged trying to get you to agree to just one date.”_

_“I know, which is why this is a bad idea.” He replied as he walked toward the front door. He paused to retrieve his car keys from the small glass bowl by the front door before turning back to face his sister._

_“Bad idea how?” Anna asked, and Cas shrugged._

_“I just don’t get it, okay?” Cas replied quietly. “Why would any alpha, especially one as amazing as this guy seems, be interested in me at all?”_

_Anna hit him in the arm. “Uh, maybe cause you’re gorgeous and adorable and a total catch!”_

_“Yeah, aside from the whole single-parent omega who’s barely managing to make ends meet with his part-time receptionist job,” Cas retorted with a roll of his eyes._

_“Cas, shut up about the friggin single parent thing,” Anna scolded. “This isn’t like with the other alphas who ran when they found out about Alfie. I mean, this guy already knows, and he still wants a date with you. At least give him the chance!”_

_“I know. I just—Anna, this guy is amazing. Like, every single thing I’ve learned about him over these past few weeks just makes me like him more.”_

_“And that’s a bad thing how?” Anna asked, arching an eyebrow._

_“I just don’t want to get too attached to someone I won’t get to keep,” Cas explained sadly._

_“Who says?” Anna suddenly challenged._

_“Who says what?” Cas asked, confused._

_“Who says you won’t get to keep him? Besides your own stubborn ass, of course.”_

_“Common sense, Anna. Common sense says I won’t be able to keep him. It won’t be ten minutes before he realizes this was a mistake.”_

_“I bet you twenty bucks you’re wrong,” Anna said._

_“Twenty bucks?”_

_Anna nodded. “Yep. If the date goes terribly, and he ends up being a two-time jerk face, then I owe you twenty bucks. But if he asks you out on a follow-up date, you owe me twenty bucks.”_

_Cas rolled his eyes and turned to leave the house. “Sure, I’m always up for free cash.”_

_When he reached the restaurant, Dean was waiting out front, pacing anxiously._

_“Cas! You made it!” He cried as Cas walked up to meet him._

_Cas chuckled. “You seemed a little unsure about that.”_

_“What can I say? You’ve been keeping me on my toes, that’s for sure,” Dean replied as he opened the front door of the restaurant for Cas and then followed him inside. “Not that it’s a bad thing, really,” he hurried to assure the omega._

_“Always glad to help,” Cas teased. Dean immediately led them toward a small booth in the back and waved at the woman behind the counter as they passed._

_“The sign says to wait to be seated?” Cas asked as he slid into the booth across from Dean._

_“Yeah, usually you’d have to wait. But since the owner of the place is an old family friend, I got us the inside connection,” Dean wriggled his eyebrows suggestively, causing Cas to chuckle. Right then, their feet bumped under the table, and Cas immediately withdrew his feet back to his side._

_“Sorry!” He apologized._

_“It’s okay. If you wanna play footsie, all you’ve gotta do is ask,” Dean assured the omega with a wink._

—–

————————–

_“How many siblings?” Dean asked, eyes wide._

_“I’m one of five. There’s the oldest, Lucifer (we call him Lucy), and then Michael, then Gabriel, then Anna, then me,” Cas replied._

_“So you’re the baby?” Dean confirmed, and Cas nodded, a blush heating his cheeks._

_“Yep.”_

_“And the only omega?”_

_“Yes. All of the others are alpha except for Anna,” Cas confirmed._

_“So, should I be looking out for any over-protective big brothers?” Dean wondered, and Cas chuckled._

_“Nah. Once I had Alfie, I think they realized I was more than capable of looking out for myself. Plus, of us all, I think I actually settled down the fastest,” Cas explained._

_“How so?”_

_“Well, Lucy is one of those perpetual bachelors. He refuses to become mated. Michael is the exact opposite; he changes mates every couple of years, at least. Gabe…” Cas hesitated for a moment, wondering how to best phrase it. “He, uh, ran into some trouble after college that messed him up for a while. But, uh, he’s better now. He runs his own business.”_

_“Oh, what kind of business?” Dean asked._

_Cas grinned. “He bakes.”_

_“Bakes?” Dean echoed, and Cas nodded._

_“Yep, he owns his own bakery, Trickster’s Treats. It’s actually going really well,” Cas explained. Dean looked thoughtful for a moment._

_“Trickster’s Treats. I’ll have to try it sometime. How’s his pie?” He asked, and Cas grinned._

_“The best.”_

_“Awesome! I’ll definitely have to go by there. So then none of your siblings have really mated or settled down then?”_

_“Well, Michael says he has, but that changes from month to month. I’m actually kind of surprised that Pamela hasn’t killed him yet with all of the weddings he keeps having her plan,” Cas mused, and Dean grinned._

_“Hey, I’d plan a million weddings for the guy if he kept paying,” he joked. His smile turned fond. “That must have been great, being part of a big family like that.”_

_“It had its moments, yes. It was kind of hard after dad passed, but we made it through. Your family seems pretty amazing, from how Mary talks at work,” Cas guessed, and Dean nodded._

_“Yeah, it’s just me and Sammy sibling-wise, but we’re more than enough,” Dean explained. “But I do kind of want a big family of my own.”_

_Silence fell over them as each took another bite of his dinner. As Dean chewed, his face turned thoughtful. Once he’d swallowed the bite, he asked, “So, you consider yourself settled down?”_

_Cas nodded. “Yes.”_

_“But you’re not mated,” Dean observed, and Cas nodded again, a blush rising along his cheeks._

_“Right. It has more to do with Alfie than anything else. Having a pup, it changes things. You can’t really expect to just keep doing the same stuff you did before, you know?” Cas explained, his eyes squinting._

_Dean nodded. “I get it. So, does that mean you’re not going to change things? Like, mate-wise?”_

_Cas’s blush deepened. “Honestly, I’d never even considered it before—“ he stopped himself, his eyes widening before flicking back down again to his plate._

_“Before?” Dean prodded, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth._

_“Before you started asking me out,” Cas admitted softly, his face flaming._

_Dean’s grin was the same one he’d worn in the park when Cas had introduced him to Alfie: triumphant and confident._

_“But now you are considering it?”_

_“I’m considering the possibility of it happening, yes,” Cas conceded, his bright blue eyes lifting to Dean’s._

_“Good. Just wanted to make sure we were on the same page about that,” Dean said, and Cas couldn’t help his own small smile._

_Even after they’d finished eating dessert, they sat talking for a long while until Cas said in a regretful tone that he had to get home. Dean walked with him out to his SUV, their shoulders brushing with every step. When they reached the car, Cas paused to look up at Dean, a small smile flitting at the corners of his mouth._

_“I had a really good time.”_

_“I did, too,” Dean assured him, his smile warm. “Can we do this again sometime? Like on Tuesday?”_

_Cas felt his heart swell in his chest as his smile grew. “I’d like that,” He agreed. He reached up to peck Dean on the cheek, his lips feather-soft against Dean’s skin. When he pulled back, Dean’s eyes immediately dropped to his mouth. The alpha’s eyes were hesitant but hopeful when the met Cas’s._

_“May I?” He murmured._

_“Please…” Cas replied softly._

_Dean brought his hand up to cup the omega’s cheek as he slowly lowered his head to bring his mouth against Cas’s, his lips as gentle against Cas’s as Cas’s had been against his cheek. It wasn’t long or passionate, but it was … steadying. Cas felt something settle deep inside of him, something content and happy as Dean’s lips met his, something solid and safe that he could trust in. And then Dean was pulling back, a small smile on those same lips._

_“Good night, Cas.”_

_“Good night, Dean,” Cas murmured as he climbed into his car and started the engine._

——

———-

_Cas shut the front door behind him and slumped back against it, a dopey grin on his face. Dean had been just as amazing as Cas had thought he would be. He was everything Cas had seen over the past few weeks, everything Mary had talked about over the past few months, everything Cas had wanted in an alpha for years._

_Cas realized right then and there that he was already more than a little in love with Dean Winchester._

_Just then, Anna walked in from the kitchen, her own smile growing when she saw Cas’s expression._

_“So?” She asked eagerly. “I take it things went well?”_

_Cas hummed happily and nodded. “I owe you twenty bucks.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the formatting on this one; I just copied and pasted it exactly as it was from its original chapter.


	6. I Think He's a Keeper

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cas gets sick, and Dean helps nurse him back to health (AKA spoils him rotten)

Cas woke up stuffy and congested. His head was pounding, his entire body ached, and when he tried to sit up, he was immediately attacked with a fit of coughing.

He pulled out his phone and called Anna. She sounded breathless when she answered. “Cas, I woke up late, but I’ll try to make it on time so you aren’t late for work.” 

“Anna, don’t worry about that.” Cas assured her, his scratchy throat irritating him. “I’m going to call in.”

“Yeah, I don’t blame you. You sound awful.” Anna replied, and Cas rolled his eyes. 

“Thanks. Can you come pick up Alfie?”

“Yeah. Do you want me to pick up medicine?” 

“No, I’ve got some stuff here. Bring chocolate chunk ice cream.” 

“No! No cheating!” Anna scolded.

“Anna, I’m ill night unto death! Who knows when I may…” He was cut off by a sneeze. 

“Cassie, stop being such a drama queen. You will survive and you will thank me when you finally fit back into that grey suit for Michael’s next wedding. Now, call Mary. I’ll be there to pick up Alfie in a few.” She hung up without waiting for a response. 

“Rude.” Cas grumbled as he scrolled through his contacts to Mary’s number. He explained the situation to her and apologized. 

“Don’t worry, Cas.” She assured him, and he smiled at the nickname. No one had started calling him that until Dean had. “You just focus on getting better.”   
“Yes, ma'am.” Cas replied before hanging up. 

He dragged himself out of bed to go check on Alfie, but the pup was still sleeping soundly. Cas went to the bathroom to take some medicine before stumbling back to bed. 

——————

Anna arrived fifteen minutes later and went to wake up Alfie. She brought the the pup to his papa’s room to say goodbye for the day.

“Do you want me to get you anything else before I go? Maybe soup or tea?” She asked as Castiel pressed a quick kiss against Alfie’s forehead.

Castiel shook his head, about to tell her to just go away and leave him to die in peace when the doorbell rang. 

“Ugh, the one day I need peace and quiet!” Cas groused as Anna left to answer the door. Cas heard her open the door. There were muffled voices, and then there were two sets of feet coming back up the stairs.

“Cas, you have a visitor.” Anna announced as she walked back into the room, followed by Dean. Cas’s eyes widened in surprise at the sight of the alpha in his room, holding a large grocery sack. 

“Hey, Cas.” Dean smiled brightly, and Cas was torn between smiling because Dean was there and grimacing because he knew he looked like shit.

“Dean! What are you doing here?” He sneezed loudly then, groaning at the throbbing pressure in his skull. 

Anna chuckled and picked up Alfie from the bed. “We’d better get going. Say bye to papa and Dean, baby.” Alfie waved at the two men over Anna’s shoulder as she carried him out of the room. 

Dean set his bag of groceries on the floor and came to sit on the edge of Cas’s bed. 

“Uh, my mom told me about you calling in sick, and I figured I’d come check on you, since it is kinda my fault.” 

“Dean, it’s not your fault.” Cas assured him, but Dean shook his head. 

“Cas, you know this started the other night with our date, what with the weather and all.” 

“You can’t really take credit for the rainstorm.”

“No, but I can take credit for keeping you out in it.” Dean reminded him with a smirk, and Cas blushed. 

“It wasn’t entirely your fault; making out in a rainstorm was on my bucket list.” Cas admitted. 

“So you’re a fan of The Notebook, huh?” Dean teased. 

“Shut up.” Cas grumbled, his blush deepening. Dean chuckled as he leaned down toward him.

Cas held up a hand to stop him. “Dean, if you try kissing me, I will slobber my germs all over you, and then we’ll both be sick.” 

“Well then, you’ll just have to return the favor and nurse me back to health.” He brushed his lips against Cas’s gently, and Cas smiled.

“You’re going to nurse me back to health?” Cas clarified when they separated. Dean nodded eagerly. 

“Yep! I’ve brought tissues and cough drops, my mom’s home-made chicken noodle soup, some weird tea shit that Sam swears will work wonders, and the Lord of the Rings movies.” His voice dropped to a whisper, “And I brought chocolate chunk ice cream.”

Cas smiled at his enthusiasm and felt a little thrill run through him that Dean already knew so much about him, even thought they’d only been on three dates. 

“Wait, don’t you have work?” Cas asked, but Dean shook his head. 

“Nah, Bobby owes me time off anyway. And apparently, he likes you enough to let me come risk life and limb to pull you back to good health.” 

“I’m touched.” Cas muttered dryly, and Dean laughed.

——————–

Anna returned to Cas’s house around lunch to check up on him. 

“Cas?” She called as she stepped through the front door, but no one responded. She could hear noise from upstairs, so she headed that way. She knocked on the bedroom door, but there was still no answer. She slowly opened the door to peek inside and stopped short. The noise was coming from the TV where The Return of the King was playing, but neither man was watching; they were both out cold, sleeping. 

Cas was wrapped up in the blanket like a burrito, snuggled up against Dean’s front, face buried in the alpha’s neck. Dean had his arms wrapped around the omega, his face pressed against the top of Cas’s head.   
She grinned as she pulled out her phone to snap a picture to send to Gabe. He responded almost immediately with, “Well, that’s just adorable.” 

Anna typed out a quick response as she headed back down the stairs. “Yeah, I think he’s a keeper.”


	7. It's Kinda Been a Long Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> That was the problem with living in small towns; you just assumed that everyone there was exactly what you saw. 
> 
> You never thought about the bigger picture where they had glamorous reporters in their past who weren't bogged down with kids and baggage, who made them blush at the mere mention of previous hookups.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's time for Cas to confront his insecurities, don't you think?
> 
> Note: there is a very brief mention of wartime violence
> 
> As always, enjoy!

"I found the cutest Halloween outfit for Alfie." Cas told Dean as he brought a spoonful of macaroni and cheese to Alfie's lips. Alfie simply glared at him, refusing to open his mouth. Cas sighed. Alfie had been in a mood all day. 

He glanced over at Dean and smiled wearily. It was Wednesday, Cas's day off, so Cas and Alfie usually met Dean in town for lunch. And while Cas usually looked forward to his time with Dean, Alfie's attitude had drained him. 

"It's kinda been a long day." He explained.

"Here, let me try." Dean took the spoon from Cas and smiled at Alfie, "Hey, big guy! Watch the airplane!" He moved the spoon around in circles and made an airplane sound as he brought the spoon to Alfie's mouth. "Here comes the airplane!" Dean exclaimed, and of course, Alfie opened his mouth wide for that. 

"Of course you'll eat for Dean." Cas grumbled, and Dean chuckled. 

"Hey, don't blame the kid. It's just part of my natural charm." Dean winked at Cas, and the omega blushed. 

Despite all the time they had spent together over the past couple of months, lunches and dinners and movies and that day Dean had come over to help Cas 'get better' (aka lie in bed and watch movies while eating ice cream), Dean could still make Cas blush with just a wink or a flirtatious smile. Cas hated it; Dean loved it.

"So what's the big guy dressing up as?" Dean asked, scooping up another spoonful of macaroni.

Cas grinned eagerly. "A bumblebee!" Dean froze at that. 

"Babe, you can't dress Little Man up as a bumblebee."

"Um, I'm pretty sure I can." Cas argued, but Dean shook his head. 

"You don't want Alfie to look back on his halloween costumes with shame! Everybody hates those embarrassing baby pictures."

"You didn't seem to mind them so much when Anna dragged mine out last week." Cas complained, but Dean grinned unrepentantly. 

"That's different."

"How?" Cas demanded, and Dean opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off when someone called, "Lieutenant Winchester?" from behind them.

Both men turned to see a beautiful beta in a white skirt-suit and spiky red heels striding purposefully toward their table, a shorter woman trailing behind her. "Well, as I live and breathe! I haven't seen you since last year." The British woman turned to the young woman with her, "This is the soldier I told you about."

A wide grin spread across Dean's face as he stood to pull the beta into a hug. 

"Bela! It's good to see you." He pulled away and motioned down toward Castiel. "Cas, this is Bela Talbot. She was a reporter stationed over in Afghanistan at the same time as me. Bela, this is Cas and his son, Alfie." 

Cas tried not to let his disappointment show that Dean hadn't called him his boyfriend. They'd never actually had the labels talk, but Cas had kind of assumed; apparently he'd assumed wrong. He smiled and extended his hand toward the beta, but Bela barely acknowledged him before turning her attention back to Dean. 

"What are you doing here of all places?" She asked, her tone implying her general distaste for the small town.

"I live here." Dean explained, motioning toward the two empty seats at their table as an invitation for the ladies to sit down. 

"No shit! I'm in town writing a piece about the little political rally this weekend." Bela said as she settled into the chair next to Dean, leaving her friend to sit next to Cas. 

"Hey, to you it might be little, but it's a big deal around here. It's right up there with the cinnamon festival." Dean teased, and Bela laughed. Cas didn't like her laugh; it was too flirtatious and cute and everything a laugh should be.

"Who would've thought that Lieutenant Dean Winchester would settle down in a tiny town where the event of the season is a cinnamon festival!" Bela said, her tone incredulous. She turned her attention to her friend. "This man is a decorated war hero, and I owe him my life. Picture it, twenty civilians, me and my crew, and one single alpha soldier trapped in a tiny store. Gunfire out on the street, clouds of dust and smoke obscuring all visibility, fear and panic permeating the air." 

Cas glanced at Dean, who suddenly appeared uncomfortable. Cas didn't know how Dean had earned his medals. He'd gotten the impression early on that Dean didn't like talking about his time overseas, so he'd never pushed for an explanation. 

"Dean here managed to single-handedly save every one of us in that store, as well as take down a few of the terrorists. It was quite the sight to see. And, of course, I could never forget my one-on-one interview afterward." She murmured, winking at Dean, and Dean blushed. Dean fucking Winchester actually blushed. 

Cas felt his heart shrivel up inside as he realized that Dean had been with the beautiful beta. He suddenly felt uncomfortable, like he was an intruder. That's in the past, he reminded himself sternly. Dean's with you now. 

But was he? He hadn't called Cas anything special when he'd introduced him to Bela. Not even a "my friend, Cas." Nope, just "Cas and his son Alfie." Was Cas reading more into their relationship than Dean wanted?

As he continued to listen to Bela and Dean reminisce about their time together, Cas realized how little he actually knew about Dean from before they met, and it saddened him. Here was this beta who knew all about Dean's heroic past, while Cas knew nothing. 

Dean was a fucking decorated war hero who'd spent his time overseas hooking up with gorgeous reporters, and Cas was a single-parent omega who'd been lucky enough to get a job as a glorified receptionist. He had just been arguing with Dean about a toddler's Halloween costume, while Bela was currently relating their narrow escape from a terrorist cell.

And the worst part was the way Dean acted with her; he grinned and laughed and seemed so open. He barely looked at Cas or spoke to him the entire time. 

It was almost a relief when Alfie began to squirm and whimper in his high chair, giving Cas his exit strategy. 

"Someone's getting restless." He murmured, reaching over to unstrap Alfie from the chair. 

"Everything okay?" Dean interrupted Bela to ask, and Cas nodded, but wouldn't meet the alpha's eyes. 

"Yeah, it's just about his nap time. I'd better go before he really starts up." Cas stood and pulled out his wallet, pulling out enough to cover his and Alfie's portion of the meal. 

"I've got it covered." Dean tried to assure him, but Cas ignored him, dropping the bills onto the table before reaching down to pick up Alfie. He rested his pup against his hip and slid the diaper bag onto his shoulder.

"I can walk you to your car." Dean offered, beginning to stand, but Cas shook his head.

"No, catch up with your friend. I've got this. It was very nice to meet you both, Bela and Ruby." He offered a weak smile and then spun around and hurried toward the door. He thought he heard Dean say something about calling him later, but he didn't respond. 

He made it halfway home before the tears started. He pulled off to the side of the road and rested his forehead against the steering wheel for several minutes, trying to get his crying under control. Stupid omega hormones. God, he'd been stupid. 

That was the problem with living in small towns; you just assumed that everyone there was exactly what you saw. You never thought about the bigger picture where they had glamorous reporters in their past who weren't bogged down with kids and baggage, who made them blush at the mere mention of previous hookups. 

His phone began to ring, and he glanced at the caller ID on the car's center console. It was Dean. He rejected the call and steered back out onto the road.

He eventually pulled into his driveway and collected his sleeping son from the backseat. His phone rang again, but he knew it was Dean, so he ignored it.

After setting his stuff down on the couch, he carried Alfie upstairs and laid him out in his crib. He bent down to press a soft kiss against his pup's forehead, smiling tenderly at the way his curls stuck out everywhere. 

"We'll be fine, Alfie. I promise." He whispered before he quietly left the room.

When he returned to the living room, he found that he'd missed two more calls along with some texts from Dean. 

"Everything okay?" The first one asked. 

"Cas, why aren't you answering me?"

"Did something happen on the drive home?"

"Look, I don't really care if you dress Alfie up in the goddamn bee costume." 

"Is this about Bela?"

Cas dropped his head into his hands and rubbed at his eyes. He just needed some time to pull himself together. He'd have a good cry, take a nap, and then he'd be fine again. Dean could go do whatever it was he did with Bela, and Cas would get over it. He'd just started toward his bedroom when the doorbell rang. 

He slowly walked to the door and opened it to find Dean standing there, his eyes wide and anxious. 

"Oh, thank god!" He muttered, stepping forward to pull Cas into a tight hug. Even though he knew it didn't mean anything, Cas couldn't help the way he leaned into the touch.

Dean pulled back but kept his hands on Cas's arms. 

"Listen, I understand if you're mad at me, but you can't just..." Dean began, but Cas shook his head.

"Dean, I'm not mad at you." Cas explained. 

"Then why are you avoiding me?" 

"I'm not avoiding you." Cas muttered. When Dean arched an eyebrow at him, he sighed and pulled away from Dean's grasp. "Because you had Bela there, and I didn't want to impose." 

"Cas, why the hell would you think you're imposing? She's the one who interrupted our date, remember?" 

"Well, you know, you were both so busy talking about the past, and she kept flirting and dropping hints about a 'repeat performance,'" Cas held up air quotes, "and you kept blushing and laughing and I... Well, I assumed..." Cas trailed off, and Dean shook his head. 

"Cas, there's never going to be any repeat performances with me and Bela. I don't cheat!" Dean sounded disgusted at the very thought. "Yes, Bela is an old friend, but that's it! I kept blushing because I don't want some random hookup talking about my past sex life in front of my boyfriend." 

"Oh." Cas's mind latched onto that last word, clinging onto it like a lifeline.

"Yes, oh." Dean sounded disappointed, and Cas cringed internally. They stood there in silence for several moments, neither looking at the other.

"Cas, why would you even think that?" Dean finally asked, his tone hurt.

"Well, when you introduced me to Bela earlier, you didn't say boyfriend or friend or anything; it was just 'this is Cas and Alfie.' And then you spent the next fifteen minutes talking about terrorist cells and gunfire and all these things about your past that we've never even talked about. And Bela was going on about sex and daring escapes, while the most exciting thing that's happened to me lately is finding Alfie's Halloween costume, which you hate!" By the end, Cas was shaking and fighting tears. He wrapped his arms around his midsection and began to turn away, but Dean stopped him with a gentle hand on his arm. 

"Dean, please..." Cas whispered. Dean didn't know what Cas was trying to ask for, but to be fair, Cas didn't know, either. 

Dean pulled Cas to him, wrapping his arms around the omega and pulling his face into his neck. He shushed him softly, rubbing his hands up and down his back. Cas didn't hug him back, instead keeping his arms wrapped tightly around himself.

"Stop patronizing me." Cas mumbled. 

"I'm not patronizing you, Cas, I'm hugging you." Dean explained softly. 

"Why?" Cas demanded, but it was muffled against the alpha's neck. 

"I'm hugging you because you need it, and I need it." He hesitated for a second before continuing, "I like being the one that gets to hug you." Cas stood frozen there for a couple of seconds before releasing a sigh. 

"Ok." He relented, his arms finally sliding around Dean's waist. After several moments, he admitted, "I like being the one you hug." 

"I know." Dean murmured, smiling and pressing a soft kiss against the omega's temple. "And I want you to know that these past couple of months with you and Alfie have been a million times more exciting than anything that's happened to me. I'd pick lunch at that greasy diner with you and Alfie any day." 

"Really?" Cas asked, pulling back enough to look up at Dean's eyes. Dean smiled and nodded. Cas leaned up on his toes to press a shy kiss against the alpha's lips. He started to pull away, but Dean grabbed him by the back of the neck and pulled him in for another longer kiss. When they broke apart, both slightly breathless, Dean grinned.

"And tomorrow, I am going to take you out to dinner at a very nice restaurant, and you can ask me any questions you want about my time overseas, or anything, really." 

"Are you sure?" Cas asked, uncertain of whether that would be pushing Dean too far.

"Absolutely. We'll let Alfie spend some time with my mom, and we'll go talk, just the two of us. Cas, I feel like we're going to go all the way with this, and if that's the case, I want you to know everything." 

Cas felt something happy and content settle in him at those words, and he leaned up to kiss his alpha again. Dean wanted this just as much as he did, and he was putting everything out on the line for Cas to see. No one had ever done that for him before.

"And I promise that from now on I will always introduce you as my very amazing, very gorgeous omega boyfriend." Dean assured him once they pulled apart. "But if it's any consolation, I think Bela caught on when I spent the rest of the meal wondering about whether you'd made it home safely and worrying about why you were ignoring my calls and asking her what she thought about the bee costume." Cas grinned at the reassurance. 

"I love you." Cas whispered. 

"I love you, too. And I love Alfie." Dean smirked. "But we gotta find him a different Halloween costume." 

"I like the bee." Cas insisted. 

"But Alfie loves Batman." Dean informed him.

"You mean you love Batman." 

"Same difference." Dean replied with a grin.


	8. Not Like Most Alphas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean suddenly understood why Cas had taken so long to agree to a date with him, why he still struggled with believing that Dean was in it for the long haul. 
> 
> No wonder he hadn't been making any progress with his omega; every time he brought Cas a step forward, Naomi shoved him two steps back.

"Don't look so nervous! They'll love you." Cas promised as he and Dean walked up the front walk to Naomi's house. Alfie trotted along between them, each of his hands holding on to one of theirs. 

Dean smiled tightly and nodded, but Cas could still see the tension in his shoulders. Alphas were such babies sometimes. It was just Sunday dinner with Cas's family, but Dean was acting like he was going to the firing squad. Cas sighed; this called for more drastic measures. 

He reached out and took Dean's hand in his free one. He pulled Dean to a stop before they climbed the front steps and looked up at him, a mischievous smirk on his face as he leaned up to brush a kiss against the alpha's mouth. When he pulled back, Dean's smile was softer and some of the tension had drained from his shoulders. Cas smiled, satisfied with his work. "See, much better."

"Kissy!" Alfie cried, stretching up on his tiptoes. Dean chuckled and reached down to pick up the toddler, kissing the pup's temple. Alfie planted his own sloppy kiss on Dean's cheek. As Dean set Alfie back down on the sidewalk, Cas was struck again by how lucky he'd been to find Dean.

He reached up for another kiss, no ulterior motive this time, smiling against Dean's mouth. He quickly swiped his tongue along Dean's lower lip, and Dean groaned and reached up to cup the omega's face with his free hand, running a thumb over his smooth cheek. 

Right then the front door opened and Anna called, "Will you please stop traumatizing my nephew?" She came down the steps and took Alfie by the hand. "Are you idiots gonna stand here making out all night? Gabe's ready to start eating without you." 

\-----------------------

Dean smiled fondly across the table at Cas, whose face was red with suppressed laughter as his brothers recounted the best moments from Michael's previous weddings.

"And then Lucy and I grabbed the whole fucking cake and sneaked out the back." Gabe finished, grinning triumphantly at Michael.

"Language!" Lucifer chided, placing his hands over Alfie's ears. The pup in his lap was so busy playing with the new toys Michael and Lucifer had given him that he didn't even notice. 

Gabe rolled his eyes. "That's rich, coming from you. Anyways, I wasn't about to let that ungrateful hag anywhere near one of my precious cakes." 

"I still blame you for the brevity of that marriage." Michael reminded him, but Gabe shook his head. 

"Nah, Mikey, you're the one who can't keep a mate for longer than... What's the current record?" Gabe asked Anna, but she just shrugged. She'd learned long ago to not get involved in her brothers' squabbles. 

"I'm gonna go with fourteen months." Gabe announced, but Lucifer interrupted him, "No, the model from Tahiti lasted for seventeen months." 

"Ah, yes! Nikki! How is that leggy monster?" Gabe exclaimed, and Cas chuckled as Michael glared around the table at them.

"I hate you all." He pointed at Gabe. "And I'm officially uninviting you from my wedding." 

Gabe sighed dramatically, "I wouldn't do that if I were you, Mikey. Who else is gonna bake your cake?" 

"The cake's the only reason I keep going!" Lucy cried. 

"You and everyone else." Cas chimed in. Michael rolled his eyes and turned toward Dean. 

"You see what I have to put up with here?" 

Dean grinned and winked over at Cas, causing the omega to blush. "Oh, I don't think they're all bad." 

Naomi spoke up from her seat at the head of the table. "Castiel, why don't you help me clear the table for dessert?" Anna pushed back her chair to help as well, but Naomi held up a hand, "I think Castiel and I can handle this." Cas suddenly looked nervous, and Dean couldn't help but share the feeling.

"Yes, ma'am." Cas replied, standing to gather dishes from the people around him. 

"Try not to scare Dean too much while we're gone." Naomi admonished her children as she grabbed several dishes and followed Cas down the hall toward the kitchen. 

"Actually, where's the bathroom?" Dean asked.

"Down that hall, second door on the left." Michael responded, pointing toward the hallway Naomi and Cas had just left through. 

"Thanks." Dean stood and headed that way. 

"What do you think mother's saying to Cas?" Anna asked worriedly once she heard the bathroom door shut behind Dean. 

"Probably more of the usual." Gabe replied, his tone weary. 

Dean left the bathroom a few minutes later, and as he passed the kitchen, he could hear Cas and Naomi's muffled voices. He stopped short when he heard his name. 

"Dean seems like a very wonderful man." Naomi was saying, and Dean couldn't help his smug feeling. The feeling slowly turned cold as she continued speaking. "You're not expecting too much of him, are you? You know that omegas in your situation can't be too picky."

"Dean's different, Mother." Cas defended him, and Dean smiled proudly.

"No, Castiel. All alphas are the same." Naomi scolded. "You experienced it first-hand when Crowley left you alone and pregnant. To alphas, omegas are expendable; they use us and then leave us behind." She hesitated for a moment, but pushed on. "And if that's what happens to normal omegas, you can imagine how it will be for an omega with a pup." Naomi's voice was firm, leaving no room for argument. 

Dean suddenly understood why Cas had taken so long to agree to a date with him, why he still struggled with believing that Dean was in it for the long haul. He'd probably been fed these lies about omegas being expendable his entire life.

Dean didn't want to hear any more; he definitely didn't need Cas to hear any more. He stepped into the kitchen, a false smile glued on his face. "Hey! Just wanted to see if you all needed any help in here." 

Both omegas immediately froze. Naomi stared at Dean while Cas turned away from him. Dean could see him wiping at his cheeks. 

"We're fine." Naomi responded, but Dean wasn't concerned about her. He walked over to Cas and stopped right in front of him.

"Everything okay?" Dean asked softly.

"Yes, Dean. Everything's fine." Cas responded, but he wouldn't look past Dean's shirt collar. Dean could see the pain and insecurity in his red-rimmed eyes. No wonder he hadn't been making any progress with his omega; every time he brought Cas a step forward, Naomi shoved him two steps back. Cas was still speaking, "Why don't you go sit down. We'll bring dessert out in a minute."

Dean reached up and took Cas's face in his hands, gently bringing his head up until they made eye contact. 

"Castiel, you're not expendable to me. I need you." Dean whispered, his voice catching in his throat. "I love you." 

Tears streamed down Cas's face as he nodded, "I love you, too." 

Dean turned to face Naomi and wrapped his arm around Castiel, pulling the omega tight against his side. 

"Ma'am, I know that you're simply trying to look out for your son, and I appreciate that. But you should know that I love your son, so much. And I love Alfie, regardless of who his father is; honestly, the more time I spend with him, the more he feels like my own." Cas stared up at Dean like he'd hung the moon, and Dean smiled tenderly at him as he continued speaking.

"I hope that Cas does expect too much from me, because I expect everything from him. I think I'm going to spend the rest of my life with him." Dean looked back to Naomi. "And yes, most alphas aren't eager to jump into a ready-made family, but I think you'll find that I'm not like most alphas."

Outside the kitchen door, Gabe whispered, "Damn, that was smooth. I think I want him!" Lucifer slapped him across the back of his head while Michael and Anna glared at him.

Dean's demeanor throughout his speech had been kind yet firm, and that kindness surprised Naomi. None of the alphas she knew would act so respectfully toward an omega that wasn't their blood relative. Why was she surprised, though? Throughout dinner, she'd seen the way Dean acted with both Cas and Alfie. He'd been so tender and loving. It was obvious that her son and grandson had the alpha wrapped around their little fingers. 

A small smile finally settled across Naomi's face. "No, I suppose you're not like most alphas." 

When they returned to the dining room, the other four were back around the table, but their postures were too casual. Cas immediately knew they'd been listening in, but Dean didn't catch on until Gabe handed him an extra large serving of pie. 

\-----------------

Later, as Dean carried a sleeping Alfie back out to the car, he glanced over at Cas and smiled hesitantly. 

"I think that went well."

"Dean, you know they all loved you. You're kinda stuck with us now." 

"I know; I just wanted to hear you say it." Dean admitted with a grin. Cas rolled his eyes as he opened the car door so Dean could place Alfie inside. Once they strapped Alfie into his car seat, Cas shut the door and began to move around to the passenger side of the car, but Dean stopped him by grabbing his hand. 

He pulled the omega close and wrapped his arms around his waist, a tender smile flitting across his face as he bent down to claim Cas's mouth. Cas sighed softly into the kiss as he reached up to wind his arms around Dean's neck, his fingers tangling into the hair there. 

When Dean finally pulled back, his lips slightly swollen and his bright green eyes shining, he leaned his forehead against Cas's and stared into his omega's blue eyes. 

When he finally spoke, his voice was rough. "Cas, you know I love you, right? You and Alfie are the best thing that ever happened to me." Cas nodded. 

"Yeah, I think your speech earlier kinda cleared that up. And just so you know, you're the best thing that's happened to us, Dean." Dean felt a swell of pride at Cas's words. 

The front door swung open again, and Cas groaned as Gabe yelled out, "I'm thinking strawberry cake for your wedding reception, guys!" 

Cas opened his mouth to retort, but Dean beat him to it. 

"Make it a pecan pie and you got yourself a deal."


	9. Little Man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean and Alfie spend some quality time together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!!! Ok, so up until this point I've tried to keep Alfie's age pretty vague bc I don't know that much about kids, but I finally told myself to stop being a lazy ass and do some research about childhood growth and development. So I settled on two, bc that's still young enough to fit with his behavior in previous chapters but old enough for him to be able to communicate with Dean. 
> 
> I don't know if anyone else ever researches this shit, or if they just instinctively know, but I had to look it up. So, if there's some behavior that doesn't quite fit a two-year-old, it wasn't for lack of trying. 
> 
> As always, enjoy! And if there's anything anyone would like to see specifically, please leave me a comment with your suggestions!!

Dean let himself into Cas's house with the spare key that the omega kept under the beehive statue on his porch.

"Cas?" He called out, shutting the door behind him. Cas came hurrying down the stairs, smiling brightly at Dean. 

"Hey, Babe." He reached up to peck Dean on the lips. Dean grabbed his waist and smiled flirtatiously, "Mmm, you look cute in these bumblebee scrubs." 

Cas blushed and let himself be pulled in for another kiss. When he pulled back, far too soon in Dean's opinion, he indicated toward upstairs. 

"Alfie's still sleeping; he'll probably wake up around nine. You can give him Cheerios or fruit for breakfast, then maybe go to the park or something, you know, color or watch a movie. If he gets hungry, you can give him a snack..."

Dean cut him off, "Babe, I know. I've spent enough time with you guys to know what Little Man likes, okay? We'll have plenty to do, don't worry." 

"Right, right. Ok, I'll be back around noon and we can all eat lunch then?" Cas offered, and Dean nodded. 

"Sounds good. Now, get going before you're late." Dean kissed him again before ushering him out the door. 

\----------------------

It was just before nine when Alfie started stirring. Dean stood from the rocking chair and walked over to the crib. He smiled down at the pup as he stretched and squirmed, his mouth opening on a sleepy yawn. 

"Hey, big guy." Dean said, rubbing his tummy softly as his bright blue eyes blinked open to look at Dean. 

"Dee?" He asked, confused. This was not who was usually here when he woke up. 

"Yeah, it's me." Dean murmured. Alfie smiled toothily and held out his arms to Dean. Dean pulled him out of the crib and set him down on the floor, "You gotta go potty?" He asked. 

"Potty." Alfie confirmed, padding toward the bathroom. Once they'd finished in there, Dean carried Alfie down to the kitchen and strapped him into his booster seat at the table. 

"What do you wanna eat?" Dean asked as he moved to the cereal cabinet. 

"Want juice." Alfie declared. 

"Right, important stuff first." Dean acknowledged, moving over to the dish cupboard to grab the Batman sippy cup he'd bought Alfie the month before. He went to the fridge and poured apple juice into the cup, which he set in front of Alfie. 

"Ok, now, cereal?" Dean tried again, but Alfie shook his head. 

"Grapes." The toddler said. 

Dean went back to the fridge and held out the two bags of grapes for Alfie to see, "Green or red?" Alfie stared at the bags for a long while, his little face scrunched up indecisively. 

"How bout both?" Dean finally offered, and Alfie nodded enthusiastically. Dean took a handful of grapes from each bag and made sure the stems were all removed. He cut the grapes into quarters like he'd seen Cas do and then set the bowl of grapes in front of Alfie, who grinned happily as he took one and stuffed it in his mouth. 

Dean pulled out a handful of grapes for himself and decided to cut them up because he knew that Alfie would probably want some of his. He sat next to Alfie at the table, and sure enough, Alfie reached over to grab at his grapes despite having almost a full bowl himself. 

"I see how it is." Dean teased, reaching over to grab a grape from Alfie's bowl. Alfie smacked at his hand. "No! Alfie's grape!" He pouted and squinted angrily at Dean, so Dean pulled his own bowl closer to himself, "Fine, if you won't share with me, I won't share with you." 

Alfie's eyes widened; he may not have understood all of the words, but he definitely understood the actions. Dean could see his little mind working. Then he slowly pushed his bowl toward Dean. Dean smiled and pushed his bowl back toward Alfie. 

\------------------------

"How bout some coloring?" Dean asked later as he brought out the crayons and coloring books; there was Bob the Builder, African animals, and Batman. He sighed dolefully when Alfie picked the animal coloring book instead of Batman. "We'll get you there eventually, Buddy." 

They both colored for a while. Well, Alfie scribbled, but Dean didn't really expect much else from a two-year-old. When it got closer to Cas getting home, Dean left Alfie to scribble at the table while he started lunch. 

"What sounds good?" He asked the toddler as he opened the fridge.

"Grape!" The toddler suggested again, and Dean chuckled. 

"Naw, Buddy, papa's gonna want a little more than grapes when he gets home. How bout chicken and rice?" 

"Papa?" Alfie asked, looking up from his scribbling hopefully. 

Dean smiled, "I know exactly how you feel."

\------------------------

"Dean? Alfie?" Cas called as he walked through the front door. He stopped short as he took in the clean room. Dean must have picked up while he was gone. 

"Papa!" He heard from the kitchen, and he started in that direction but stopped when Alfie ran out to him. 

"Hi, baby!" He said, scooping down to pick up his pup and kiss his cheek. Alfie sloppily kissed him back and grinned. 

Dean came out of the kitchen then, wiping his hands on a dish towel. Cas preened internally; god, his arms were fantastic.

"Hey, Babe." Dean greeted Cas with a quick peck on the lips, and Cas sighed. 

"What?" Dean asked.

"You know, I don't know if this was a good idea." Cas murmured regretfully. Dean froze, his face uncertain. A small smile played at Cas's mouth, "Now I'm going to want to come home to this every day. I mean, clean house, happy puppy, and a handsome alpha?" Dean let out a sigh of relief and leaned in to kiss his omega again.

"You're the worst. Come on, I got lunch ready." Dean said, wrapping his arm around Cas's waist to guide him into the kitchen.

"You made lunch, too! Ok, I'm never letting you leave for sure." Cas said. 

Dean chuckled, "I'm actually pretty okay with that."


	10. It's Always Good to Be Flexible

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Hello, Anna." Cas greeted. Anna's eyebrows furrowed. He sounded nervous. "I, um, could I ask a favor from you?"

"Hey, Cas. What's up?" Anna asked when she picked up on the third ring. 

"Hello, Anna." Cas greeted. Anna's eyebrows furrowed. He sounded nervous. "I, um, could I ask a favor from you?"

"Okay?" Anna replied warily. The fact that he was asking if he could ask set off alarms in her head. Had he gotten into some kind of trouble? Had something happened to Dean?

"And please, don't try to read too much into this. It's not a big deal..." Cas hedged. "Well, it is for.. But, I mean, you might not..."

"Cas! Spit it out already!" Anna demanded, her concern making her impatient. 

"Um, could you possibly watch Alfie on Friday night?" The question was rushed, and at first Anna wondered if she'd heard right. Why was Cas nervous about this? She watched Alfie all the time. 

"Sure, I can take him for a few hours." Anna responded, but Cas cleared his throat. 

"I meant overnight." 

"Oh." Anna replied as the implications of his question sunk in. "Cas, are you and Dean planning a night in?" Her tone turned lascivious on the last words, and Cas sighed. 

"I told you not to read too much into it." He muttered.

"So then you're not having a night in." She clarified. 

Cas groaned. "Yes, okay! We're going to..." He trailed off. 

"You're going to what?" Anna asked innocently. 

"Ugh, this is why I hate asking you for help." 

"Well then, if you hate asking for my help so much, maybe you should ask your other babysitter." Anna suggested, and she could practically feel Cas's blush over the line. 

"You know damn well why I can't." He grit out, and Anna laughed. 

"Oh, come on now, Cas. I'm sure Mary would understand! Dean's a big enough boy to—" 

Cas cut her off. "Will you watch Alfie or not?" 

"Touchy, touchy! Yes, I'll watch your offspring so that you and your amazingly gorgeous alpha boyfriend can make loud, passionate love all through the night." 

"Thank you." Cas said, but it was forced. Anna stuck her tongue out, even though she knew he couldn't see it. 

"I don't know why you're making such a big deal out of this; it's not like it'll be your guys's first time together." Anna said. Silence fell over the line for several long moments. Anna gasped, "Oh my god, it's your first time with Dean?" 

"Yes." Cas answered, obviously uncomfortable. 

"But you guys have been dating for almost four months!" 

"I know." Cas sighed. "Look, I just didn't want to rush into things. I asked him if he would mind waiting, and he said that was fine." 

"But it's been four months!" Anna repeated, like Cas hadn't heard her the first time, like he wasn't perfectly aware of how long he'd been dating the most amazing man on the planet. "The longest I've ever waited was three weeks."

"Well, no offense, Anna, but our situations aren't exactly the same here. I can't just bring someone home whenever I feel like it. As you can see from this call, I have to make arrangements."

"Okay, don't get your panties in a twist. I just meant..." She sighed. "He must love you very much." 

Cas's voice softened, and she could tell her brother was smiling. "Yeah, he must." 

\----------------------

When Dean arrived to pick Cas up for dinner on Friday, the plan was to go eat at a nice restaurant and then come back for the fun part afterwards. 

But, like Cas pointed out between desperate kisses as they shed their clothes and stumbled up to his room a few minutes later, "It's always good to be flexible." 

"Absolutely." Dean agreed as he pushed Cas against the wall and attacked his throat with gentle nips and licks. "We'll just order Chinese later." 

\-----------------------

After, when they'd both finally caught their breath again and the sweat had started to cool, with Dean's knot still tying them together, Cas snuggled up against Dean's chest and nuzzled at his neck. 

"Thank you for waiting." Cas whispered. Dean's arms tightened around him, and he kissed the top of the omega's head. 

"You're welcome." He whispered back. Cas thought about asking him if he'd minded waiting, but before he could, Dean spoke again. "And in case you're wondering, it was totally worth the wait."


	11. Now This Is What I Call a Costume!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean leaned down to pick Alfie up, smiling as he took in his Batman costume.
> 
> "Now this is what I call a costume! You ready to go get some candy?"

"Dee!" Alfie cried as Dean let himself into Cas's house on Friday afternoon, Alfie stood from where he'd been playing in the middle of the living room and ran to the alpha, giggling excitedly. 

"Hey, Buddy!" Dean leaned down to pick him up, smiling as he took in Alfie's Batman costume. "Now this is what I call a costume! You ready to go get some candy?" 

"Candy!" Alfie shouted, clapping his hands excitedly. 

"And what are you gonna say?" Dean rehearsed. 

"Twick a tweet!" Alfie replied, and Dean laughed. 

"Yeah, close enough. Man, those moms are gonna eat you up. We are gonna get so much candy!" Dean promised, and Alfie cheered again, "Candy!" 

Right then, Cas came from the kitchen, smiling softly. "Dean, you're gonna have him all riled up, and he hasn't even had any sugar yet." Dean set Alfie back down, and the pup toddled back over to play with his toys. Cas stepped up to Dean and placed his hands on the alpha's chest. 

"Hey, handsome." He murmured as he stretched up for a quick kiss. 

He started to pull away, but Dean had other ideas. He took hold of Cas's waist and pulled him in tightly, angling his head as he slid his tongue between Cas's lips. Cas hummed appreciatively and clenched his hands in the front of Dean's shirt. They stood in the doorway, lazily exchanging kisses until Dean felt a tug on his pant leg. He reluctantly pulled away from the kiss and glanced down to find Alfie standing there.

"Candy?" The toddler reminded them expectantly. 

"Right!" Dean said, smiling fondly. "Go get your candy bucket from the table."

As Alfie trotted toward the dining room, Dean smiled at Cas. "Don't worry, babe. You know he'll be worn out by the time we get down by Hael and Gad's place." His voice dropped to a murmur. "Then afterwards, we can come back and put him to bed, and I'll give you your treat."

"Do I get to dress up?" The omega asked playfully, and Dean's eyebrows shot up. 

"Do you want to?"

Cas nodded and leaned in for another kiss before bringing his lips right to Dean's ear to whisper, "You're going to love my new costume. It has a feather duster and everything." 

Dean could feel himself growing hard in the front of his jeans, and with a groan, he forced himself to pull a step away from Cas. The omega smirked and turned away to get Alfie ready to leave. 

\-----------------------

"Twick a tweet!" Alfie yelled as Missouri opened her front door. 

"Well! Who do we have here?" She asked, bending down to examine the toddler who held tightly to Dean's hand. 

"Batman." Alfie answered proudly. Dean smirked triumphantly at Cas, and the omega smiled as he squeezed the alpha's hand. Dean squeezed back. 

"So then, if he's Batman, which one of you is Robin?" Missouri asked, standing back up to talk to the couple. Cas tore his eyes away from Dean to answer, "I'm just a suburban housewife." He motioned down at his apron that he'd put on at dean's insistence that he had to have a costume. 

"Just, my ass." Dean snorted. "Just the best wife ever!" Cas blushed at the praise. 

Missouri chuckled approvingly. "So, how long till we actually hear those wedding bells?" She asked as she held out her bowl of candy. Alfie took one. She extended it toward the adults, but Cas looked too shocked and embarrassed to do anything at the moment, so Dean grabbed his piece for him as he replied, "Soon, I hope."

He could feel the tension draining from Cas's shoulders, and he linked their fingers again, squeezing reassuringly. 

"You know, Dean, when you first came around, I had a good feeling about you." Missouri smiled. "And, like most of my feelings, it's turned out to be right." Dean glanced over at Cas, only to find the omega smiling contentedly at him.

"Stop looking at me like that, babe. I don't think Missouri would appreciate us making out on her doorstep." Dean warned, and Missouri laughed as Cas blushed.

\------------------------

Later, Dean carried an exhausted Alfie back home, his free hand still intertwined with Cas's. They kept smiling at each other and chuckling whenever they bumped shoulders. They probably looked a couple of love-sick teenagers, but Dean could care less. 

After they put Alfie to bed with promises that his candy would still be there for him the next day, Cas made Dean go sit on the bed and wait with his eyes closed as he changed into his costume. 

"No peeking!" Cas admonished as he tiptoed into the bedroom a few minutes later. 

"I'm not peeking." Dean assured him, his heart picking up a beat in anticipation. Dean heard the soft rustling of fabric as Cas moved around the room, and then something soft brushed against his cheek, causing him to shiver. 

"You can open your eyes now, Mr. Winchester." Cas murmured in a sultry voice. 

Dean's eyes fluttered open, and his gaze slid down Cas's scantily clothed body. He grinned lecherously as he pulled Cas into his lap. "Now this is what I call a costume!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, there is implied crossdressing in this. Why? Because I am of the firm belief that Cas would loooooove to dress up all pretty for his alpha.


	12. He's Going to Say Yes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Let me get this straight. Big, bad alpha soldier Dean, manly man of manliness, is going to see a Broadway musical to make my brother happy?" Gabe smirked. "Okay, I take back what I said earlier. You are beyond gone on him. You're flat out in the whipped stage!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Absolute filler chapter! No actual destiel interaction, but I have given you some quality future-brothers-in-law bonding time. That's right; COME ON DOWN, GABRIEL!!!

The bell over the door jingled as Dean stepped into Trickster's Treats. 

"Be right with you!" Someone called from the back. Dean stepped up to the display case in the corner to study the wedding cakes as he waited. 

"Dean-o!" Gabe cried as he emerged from the back. Dean spun around and grinned, "Hey, Gabe." 

"I'm glad you're here." Gabe said as he pulled out a dessert plate and opened the display case. "I have a new pie flavor I want you to try." He cut a slice of pie and placed it on the plate then handed the plate and a fork over to Dean. 

"I am always up for pie." Dean admitted as he brought a forkful to his mouth. Gabe watched him expectantly. If Dean didn't know how seriously Gabe took his baking, he'd think the guy was trying to prank him. Dean took a bite then froze, his eyes sliding shut as a moan escaped. 

"Oh, my god. This is delicious!" He exclaimed, scooping up another bite. 

"I'm calling it Purply Passion." Gabe explained as he shut the display case. "It's got grapes in it."

"I like it." Dean said around another bite. "Very nice."

"Thanks. So what can I do for you, Dean-o? I'd love to think that you came all this way to taste my pies, but you don't love me that much." 

"Yeah." Dean suddenly sounded nervous, and he ran his free hand across the back of his neck. "Um, next month is Cas's birthday." 

"Right! It is next month." Gabe confirmed, but Dean could tell that he hadn't actually remembered until Dean had said it. 

"Yeah, and, uh, I wanted to know if you all had something special planned?" He rushed on to explain. "Because I kinda want to surprise Cas with a weekend out of town. But, uh, if you all have anything planned..." He trailed off, and Gabe chuckled at his discomfort.

"God, you are so gone on my baby bro!" He exclaimed, and Dean blushed but said nothing to deny it. Gabe smiled. "It's a great idea. I'll talk to Anna about us taking shifts with the kid." 

"Oh, my mom already volunteered for that. But I'll let you fight her for it if you really want." Dean offered. Gabe held up his hands and shook his head, "Hey, if she wants the little guy, she can have him! Where you thinking of going?" 

"Chicago. Cas's been talking about that...show." Dean's eyebrows furrowed as he tried to remember the name. 

"Wicked?" Gabe supplied, and Dean's face brightened as he nodded.

"Yeah, that." 

"I didn't think Broadway was really your thing, Dean-o. I always took you for more of a Taylor Swift kinda guy." Gabe joked. 

"Shut up. It isn't my usual thing, but Cas really wants to see it." Dean explained, and Gabe guffawed.

"Let me get this straight. Big, bad alpha soldier Dean, manly man of manliness, is going to see a Broadway musical to make my brother happy?" Gabe smirked. "Okay, I take back what I said earlier. You are beyond gone on him. You're flat out in the whipped stage!" 

Dean grinned. "Don't be jealous, Gabe; it'll happen to you someday," He promised as he handed the empty plate over. "Thanks." He turned to leave, but paused when Gabe called out to him again.

"And Dean? He's going to say yes." 

Dean spun back around, eyes wide. "How did you know?" 

"Buddy, you were looking at wedding cakes when I walked out here." Gabe replied, his tone flat. Dean blushed, and open his mouth to explain, but Gabe cut him off with a wave of his hand. "Dean, it's not like you have to explain yourself. You two are practically attached at the hip. And the way you are with Alfie... I don't think I've ever seen him take to anyone that fast. Honestly, we're all kind of surprised that it's taken this long."

"And you're all okay with it? Even Naomi?" Dean asked hesitantly. 

"Don't worry about Naomi. I know it's hard to tell with her sometimes, but she's been on Team Dean since that first Sunday dinner." Dean let out a sigh of relief at Gabe's words. 

"Thanks, man." 

"Now get the hell outta here; I have a cake to decorate." Gabe commanded, and Dean waved before turning away. He whistled happily as he strode back outside.


	13. Best Birthday Ever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean wrapped his arm around Cas's waist and pressed a tender kiss to his forehead. 
> 
> "Happy birthday." He whispered.
> 
> "You know, this may just be my best birthday ever." Cas mused, and Dean smiled.

"Cas." The soft, deep voice near his ear slowly pulled Cas from sleep. "Cas, baby. It's time to wake up." A nose nuzzled against his shoulder, easing him toward consciousness. Cas hummed in acknowledgement but still didn't open his eyes. 

The nuzzling was replaced by soft lips as gentle kisses peppered along Cas's shoulder blade and moved toward his neck. Cas sighed in contentment, arching his neck for his alpha. Dean nipped at the skin there, and Cas giggled. "Ticklish," he mumbled sleepily, and Dean chuckled. 

"Wake up, baby." Dean urged. 

"Not yet." Cas groaned as he pressed back against Dean's warmth. It took a moment, but his mind finally registered that something was poking against his ass. His eyes fluttered open as he gasped out a soft, "oh!" 

"Yes, oh." Dean parroted.

Cas finally rolled over to face him, smiling sleepily. "You, Mr. Winchester," He leaned in for a brief kiss, "are insatiable." He slid his leg over Dean's waist, rolling his hips to bring them into closer contact. 

"Are you really complaining about that?" Dean asked as he grasped Cas's waist and rolled them over so that Cas was on his back with Dean hovering over him. 

"No, not really." Cas admitted, grinning as Dean leaned down for a longer kiss. When he pulled back, Dean buried his nose in Cas's neck and scented him. 

"God, you smell so good." Dean growled, licking and nipping at the skin there. Cas hummed contentedly. 

"I smell like you now." He observed, and Dean paused to consider that before attacking Cas's neck more enthusiastically.

\--------------------------

Dean collapsed on top of him, both of them panting and sweaty, and Cas savored the alpha's warm weight. They lay there, too exhausted to move for several moments, until Dean finally rolled them onto their sides, careful not to let his knot tug on Cas's rim too much. He wrapped his arm around Cas's waist and pressed a tender kiss to his forehead. 

"Happy birthday." He whispered.

"You know, this may just be my best birthday ever." Cas mused, and Dean smiled. 

"Really?" 

"Well, I mean, it's not every year that my strong," Cas pressed a quick kiss against Dean's mouth, "handsome," another kiss against his jaw, "brave," a soft nip at his throat, "caring," a nuzzle against his chest, "alpha" another long kiss on his mouth, "kidnaps me for a birthday adventure in Chicago." 

Dean blushed, but didn't look away. "Are you sure you don't mind being away from Alfie?" 

"Dean, between your mom and Anna, Alfie's set for life. They both spoil him rotten. Kind of like how you treat me." Cas smiled.

"It's not spoiling if you deserve it." Dean reminded, but Cas shook his head.

"No, you are absolutely spoiling me. First the dinner at the Signature Room, then the play last night, and now this hotel room? I mean, this place is really, really nice! It's too much." Cas insisted. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were trying to get laid or something." Dean laughed and slid a possessive hand down Cas's back. 

"And how are things looking? Do I have any chance of getting lucky?" 

"Oh, I think there's a very good chance of that." Cas teased, nipping at Dean's lower lip.

"You, Mr. Novak, are insatiable."

\-------------------------

They spent the day wandering hand in hand around the downtown area, walking up and down the Magnificent Mile, visiting the Art Institute, taking silly selfies at the Bean. They had Portillo's Chicago-style hot dogs for lunch and Giordano's deep-dish pizza for dinner. 

"We're such tourists!" Cas observed around a mouthful of pizza. 

When dusk fell, they walked down to Grant Park to watch the lights show at Buckingham Fountain. 

"Have you ever seen it?" Cas asked as they stood waiting, their hands tightly gripped between them.

"Once, when I was a kid. But I think I'm gonna enjoy it a lot more this time around." Dean promised as he dipped his head to kiss Cas. 

Right then the show started, and Cas was immediately captivated. The lights reflected off of the water, casting a colorful glow around the area. He glanced over toward Dean once and found the alpha watching him instead of the show. He blushed and inclined his head toward the fountain, "It's beautiful, isn't it?" 

"Yeah." Dean replied, but Cas could tell he wasn't actually talking about the light show. He smiled but didn't say anything else.

When the show ended, Dean led Cas down one of the paths and found a secluded bench for them to sit on. 

"Dean, this has been the most amazing weekend. Thank you." Cas murmured as he snuggled up against the alpha's side. Dean wrapped his arm around Cas's shoulders and squeezed him gently. 

"You're welcome." He replied. He stared ahead, deep in thought, before speaking again. "Cas, you have completely flipped my life upside-down. I mean, before I met you, I never would have even considered..." He paused, and Cas glanced up at him expectantly. "going to a Broadway musical." Cas giggled at the unexpected turn that the comment had taken, and Dean smiled above him.

"Really, though. When I first met you, I thought that you were cute and would be fun to spend time with. I didn't know that..." He took a deep breath. "I didn't know then that you and Alfie were going to become my entire world. I couldn't have known...but I do now." He pulled back enough to look down into Cas's eyes. 

"Cas, you are everything to me. You and Alfie are bound so deep inside me that I don't think I could ever let you go. Shit, I don't ever want to let you go." 

He pulled the ring box from his pocket and opened it, presenting the ring inside to Cas. Cas gasped as Dean dropped down to one knee in front of him. "Will you marry me and be my mate?" 

Cas stared at the ring for several seconds, tears welling in his eyes. And then he grabbed Dean by the collar and yanked him up, mashing their mouths together in a hungry, desperate kiss. When they finally parted, he smiled at Dean. 

"Yes!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about all the extra stuff about Chicago; I've just been really homesick lately.


	14. I Didn't Want This

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The chapel they'd rented for the wedding was decorated in white tulle woven with sprays of lavender, soft pink roses, and fairy lights. The guests were finding their seats as a four-piece string ensemble played softly.
> 
> Sam was helping Dean put on his bow tie in the alpha suite when there was a loud knock on the door. Before they had a chance to answer, Anna rushed in. 
> 
> "Dean, you have to come with me right now."

"But if we invite Uriah's family then we have to invite Zachariah as well." Naomi insisted from her place by the stove. Cas sighed as he rubbed a hand over his eyes. They were all sitting around the kitchen table discussing wedding plans over lunch, but things were getting nowhere.

He'd thought when Dean proposed two months before that they'd be able to have something small and intimate. But as soon as Naomi had found out, she'd immediately gone into attack mode, sicking Michael's on-call wedding planner on Cas. 

"But if we invite Inaias's family or Zachariah, that pushes the guest list to over 150." Cas groaned. He didn't mention his personal dislike for the older alpha who always eyed him like a piece of meat.

Anna shot him a sympathetic smile but said nothing as she flipped another page in her wedding magazine. 

"Not to mention the old guy gives me the creeps." Gabriel piped up from where he sat next to Dean. Dean nodded his agreement; he'd only met Zachariah once, but he had not liked the way the creepy old man's eyes had lingered on Cas. 

"Zachariah is an old friend of your father's; he would be devastated if we didn't invite him." Naomi said, her tone ringing with finality. 

"Don't worry, Cassie. I'll keep him occupied for you." Lucy promised as he walked into the kitchen with Alfie. 

"Here, eat." Naomi set a plate down in front of Dean. 

Dean leaned over to whisper to Gabriel, "How do you say 'thank you for the food' in Enochian?" 

Gabriel whispered something back, and when Naomi returned with another plate for Gabe, Dean proudly repeated what he'd said. 

Silence fell over the group as they all stared at him. Gabriel tried to contain his grin. 

"What?" Dean asked, suddenly self-conscious. Lucifer reached over and smacked Gabriel upside the head. 

"What did I just say?" Dean asked Cas. 

Cas smirked, "You breed with the mouth of a goat." Dean stared at him blankly. "It's funnier in Enochian," Cas explained.

Naomi had already resumed talking about the wedding. "We'll use Hester for the invitations; I just loved what she did for Michael's second wedding." Castiel's shoulders stiffened, but he said nothing to contradict her. 

\---------------------------

The day of the wedding finally arrived, and Naomi couldn't help but be pleased at how smoothly everything was going. The chapel they'd rented for the occasion was decorated in white tulle woven with sprays of lavender, soft pink roses, and fairy lights. The wedding party's outfits had all been custom designed for the wedding, including Alfie's. He was dressed to the nines in a cute little vest and bow tie, ready to carry his little ring-bearer pillow down the aisle. The guests were finding their seats as a four-piece string ensemble played softly. 

Sam was helping Dean put on his bow tie in the alpha suite when there was a loud knock on the door. Before they had a chance to answer, Anna rushed in. 

"Dean, you have to come with me right now." She spun around and hurried back out, leaving Dean to follow. Dean had never seen her so upset. She led him to the omega suite, ignoring his questions. She shoved him through the door. "Talk to him. I'll stall," She instructed before rushing away again.

Stall? Why did she have to stall? 

"Cas? Baby?" Dean called out hesitantly, but there was no answer. He moved further into the room and shut the door behind him. "Cas, are you in here?" He tried to quell his panic; had Cas changed his mind? As he moved closer to the bathroom, he heard the broken sobs. He tried the handle, but found it was locked.

"Cas, are you okay?" Dean asked. He heard more sniffles, but no answer. "Baby, please open the door so we can talk," He pleaded. 

"It's bad luck to see the omega on the wedding day." Cas responded shakily, and Dean frowned. 

"Cas, if you don't come out of the bathroom, there isn't going to be a wedding day," Dean reasoned. Another couple of tense seconds passed, and then Dean heard the lock on the door turning. He let out a sigh of relief as Cas opened the door. 

The omega's eyes were puffy and red-rimmed, his hair was mussed, and his white dress shirt hung open. Dean opened his arms, and Cas moved to him willingly, snuggling against his chest as Dean's arms closed around his omega. 

"What's wrong?" Dean asked, and Cas drew in a shaky breath before answering. 

"Zachariah was in here earlier." He explained, and Dean tensed but didn't interrupt. "He was drunk, Dean! He said such terrible things about you and Alfie and how I shouldn't trust someone I didn't know that well. He pretty much propositioned me on my fucking wedding day." 

Dean could feel anger rising up in him, but he pushed it down. Comforting his omega was his number one priority right now; that smarmy alpha could wait till later. 

"I told him to fuck off. But I was so scared!" Cas admitted. "I didn't know what to do. Then Anna showed up and started screaming at him, and he left." Fresh sobs wracked his body, and Dean fought for control. He was going to kill that bastard. 

He could practically hear Sam with his long suffering lawyer voice in his head, "Yeah, real smart, dumbass. Do something that'll get you locked up on the day of your wedding." Dean sighed. Cas was more important right now, anyway. 

Dean shushed Cas, running his hands up and down the omega's back. "Hey, don't worry. That fucker is never going to lay a hand on you, I swear." Cas nodded, and Dean smiled, "Cheer up! It's our wedding day." 

But his words had the opposite effect. Cas's face crumpled as fresh tears started to flow. 

"That's just it, Dean! It's not! It's Naomi's and Michael's recycled weddings, not ours. I didn't want this," He gestured out toward the chapel. 

"What did you want?" Dean asked kindly. 

"I wanted you and me and our family. I don't even know half of those people out there; they're all of father's old friends and Michael's business colleagues and mother's social club," Cas complained. "What we have is so amazing, but it won't be amazing because none of them even know or care about us." 

Dean frowned softly as he contemplated Cas's words. And then a smirk settled on his lips. "Wait here," He instructed then rushed back out into the hallway. 

\-----------------------------

Inside of the chapel, Naomi was growing anxious. The alpha hadn't even shown up yet, and the guests were becoming restless. The minister on the platform glared at her and pointed to his watch. She nodded and stood, about to go check on Cas, when the back doors flung open, drawing everyone's attention. Gabriel grinned as he strode up the center aisle to the platform. 

"Hey, folks!" He cried, and a few guests replied hello. "So, there's been a slight change of plans. If you all would be so kind as to go ahead to the reception hall and start in on the free booze, the newlyweds will be meeting us there." 

There was a murmur of confusion as the guests began to stand and file back out. Naomi rushed up to her son, "What the hell is going on?" 

"What indeed?" Michael echoed as he, Lucifer, Mary, and John joined them. 

"Don't worry about it! Everything's fine!" Gabriel assured them. "They're still getting married. Just, uh, not out here." 

"Then where?" Naomi bit out, impatient with her son's antics. 

\-------------------------------

Back in the omega suite, Dean and Cas shared their first kiss as mates. Sam grinned, and Anna dabbed at her eyes as she pulled Alfie closer to her. 

When the kiss ended, Dean rested his forehead against Cas's, like he had so many times before, and gazed into his eyes as he whispered, "I love you, Castiel Winchester. So much." 

"I love you too, Dean." Cas whispered back. They stood there for several moments, just staring at each other, allowing the moment to sink in.

Cas finally tore his gaze away from Dean and looked at Missouri, who'd presided over their impromptu ceremony. He smiled gratefully, "Thank you so much." 

Missouri chuckled, "I always knew that being an ordained minister would come in handy one day." 

Cas then turned to Sam and Anna, "Thank you both." 

"My pleasure." Sam assured him, and Anna nodded her agreement. 

Dean held out his hand toward Alfie, and the pup ran forward. Dean picked him up and kissed his forehead as Cas leaned forward to kiss his cheek. The pup pressed slobbery kisses against both their noses, giggling when Dean wrinkled his. 

"I know you don't quite understand it yet, but our lives just got a million times better," Cas whispered to his pup, and Dean's heart swelled with pride.

"We'll leave you two alone for a little bit." Missouri offered. Anna took Alfie from Dean as Missouri shooed her and Sam from the room.

"Try to make it to the reception sometime soon," Sam called over his shoulder.

"No promises." Dean called back before he ducked in for another kiss from his mate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if I caused any anxiety with the title there... I know, I'm a little shit. 
> 
> I totally stole a scene from My Big Fat Greek Wedding (favorite chick flick EVER) and the ditching the ceremony idea from Jim & Pam's wedding on The Office (most romantic wedding ever!)


	15. I Think We're Ready

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Dean, when do you wanna adopt Alfie?" Cas asked, and Dean paused. They'd talked about it before the wedding, but nothing definite had been set. 
> 
> "I'm ready if you are." Dean finally answered. 
> 
> "I think we're ready." Cas decided.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me tell you a thing about step-parent adoptions: I don't know shit about 'em. The information I use in this chapter is stuff I found on some legal advice websites. So, if something's not accurate, sorry. I tried my best. 
> 
> For more about Crowley and the possible Sabriel, read the notes at the end. 
> 
> As always, enjoy!!

Early morning sunlight peeked in between the curtains. throwing a beam of light directly across Cas's face. He groaned and rolled over to hide his face against his mate's chest.

"Good morning, Mr. Winchester." Dean rumbled sleepily.

"Mornin'." Cas replied, the word muffled against Dean's skin. He was never very articulate in the morning, Dean had learned. 

"Was it just me, or was last night fan-freakin-tastic?" Dean asked, and Cas grunted his assent. "I mean, I think it was better than the wedding night. And that thing you do with the bending and the... Wow." 

Cas hummed appreciatively. "Glad you like it." They lay there in silence for several minutes, allowing their combined scent to settle over them.

"We have to call home soon." Dean eventually spoke. 

"Ok. Go start the coffee; I'll be there later." Cas promised, but Dean shook his head. 

"Nuh uh. You get to start the coffee today. I did it yesterday." Dean reminded, causing Cas to groan. He contemplated the options in his mind; coffee or more sleep... Or... He glanced up at Dean, a mischievous tilt to his mouth. 

"I think I have a better idea." He offered, and Dean grinned as Cas pushed him on his back and straddled his waist.

\---------------------------

Dean was sitting against the headboard with Cas settled between his legs, his back to Dean's chest. Dean was holding out his phone in front of them so they were both in the camera shot.

"Papa! Dee!" Alfie yelled through the iPhone camera, and Dean chuckled. 

"Hey, Big Guy! How are things at mamaw's?" Dean asked. Alfie started babbling excitedly, pointing toward something outside of the camera shot. Cas smiled tenderly and leaned his head back against Dean's shoulder. He thought he caught something about coloring and paint, but every time Alfie looked away, his voice faded a little bit. 

After several minutes of babbling, Alfie stopped short. "When come home?" He asked, a tiny frown drawing his eyebrows together.

Cas smiled softly as he answered, "Soon, baby. Just a few more days." 

Alfie was appeased with his answer and smiled again. They heard Mary say something to the toddler, and Alfie nodded and said, "Lo' you." 

"We love you too, baby." Cas assured him. "Time to give the phone back to Mamaw." 

"Ok." Alfie handed the phone to Mary and ran off to play. 

"Is he behaving?" Cas asked, and Mary beamed, "Cas, he is an absolute gem. Now, you two get back to your honeymooning. We'll see you on Saturday." 

"Love you, Mom." Dean said, and Mary nodded, "I love you, both of you."

After they hung up, Dean tossed the phone onto the nightstand and wrapped his arms around Cas's waist, burying his face in the omega's neck to nibble at the new mating mark there. 

"Dean, when do you wanna adopt Alfie?" Cas asked, and Dean paused. They'd talked about it before the wedding, but nothing definite had been set. 

"I'm ready if you are." Dean finally answered. 

"I think we're ready." Cas decided. 

"We'll have to get in touch with Crowley." Dean cautioned, and Cas nodded. Dean and Cas had talked about Alfie's biological father, of course, but, like Cas told Dean, there wasn't much to talk about. They hadn't been too serious to each other, just someone to mess around with. 

As soon as Cas had found out about the pregnancy, their fling had ended. Crowley agreed to pay the child support, but preferred not to be involved in the 'day to day affairs,' as he put it. So every month, Cas received the check, but that was the extent of their interaction. 

"I think Luci's still in touch with him; I'll ask him to set something up." Cas said, but his tone was uneasy. 

"What?" Dean asked, and Cas shrugged. 

"I'm just worrying. What if he says no?" Cas wondered. 

"Then he says no." Dean replied matter-of-factly. "It's not like I'm gonna love Alfie any less just because of some paperwork, Cas. I'll still be there for him, and you, in all the ways that matter." 

Cas shook his head. "How do you always know exactly what to say?"

"What can I say? I've got mad skillz, with a Z." Dean teased, and Cas laughed. 

"Did you just quote Brooklyn Nine-Nine to me?" He asked. Dean chuckled against his shoulder as he pressed a soft kiss there. 

"Words of wisdom with Detective Jake Peralta."

\-------------------------------

A month after they returned from their honeymoon, Crowley and his lawyer flew in from London so they could all meet at Michael's office. They asked Crowley if he wanted Alfie to come to the meeting so he could see him, but Crowley's answer was, "God, no! What if it starts crying?" Cas tried not to be hurt by it.

Dean was prepared to hate the guy, but he found that he couldn't. Dislike him? Sure. The guy was a dick. But Dean knew that if it hadn't been for him, he and Cas wouldn't have Alfie. 

Crowley was a business man, through and through, so to him, the entire process was just another business transaction. He read over the affidavit of consent that would terminate his parental rights to Alfie.

"Oh, I like this part." Crowley murmured when he read about termination of child support. Michael smirked, "Yeah, we figured you would. So?" He prodded. 

Crowley glanced over at Alistair, who nodded. Crowley pulled out his pen and filled out the necessary information before handing the form back over to Michael. "Done, and done." 

He and Alistair stood, "Now, if you gentlemen will excuse me, I've got to see a man about a horse." 

Cas stood and smiled at him uncertainly. "Thank you, Crowley." 

"Of course, darling. Give my love to Naomi." He called as he left the office. Only after he left did Cas realize that he hadn't mentioned Alfie once. He felt a tinge of sadness for his son, but as soon as he saw the hopeful look on Dean's face, the sadness vanished.

"So, what now?" Dean asked Michael. His brother-in-law smiled reassuringly.

"We file the affidavit with the court, along with your petition for adoption, and then wait for a court date. Honestly, the hardest part is usually obtaining the other biological parent's consent, which we have, so it should be smooth sailing from here." 

Cas breathed a sigh of relief as Dean pulled him in for a kiss. 

\-------------------------------

They received a court date for the next month. Dean spent the entire month wavering between extreme confidence and utter insecurity. He kept wondering if they'd done everything right, if Crowley would change his mind, if this would change things between him and Cas. 

When the adoption hearing finally arrived, it was over so quickly that Dean was a little surprised. The judge, an elderly black man named Joshua, glanced over the paperwork, asked a few questions about Dean's relationship with the omega and the pup, and then signed the paperwork.

"Since the pup is still in the care of the biological omega, I think we can forego any home visits and counseling." The judge determined. 

Michael nodded. "Thank you, Sir." Dean and Cas nodded their agreement. Joshua smiled kindly at Alfie, who'd sat quietly in Cas's lap throughout the hearing, "Have a good day." 

\-----------------------------

"I think this calls for froyo!" Gabriel declared that evening as they all sat around John and Mary's back yard, celebrating the judge's decision with a cookout. 

"You say that for everything." Anna muttered. 

"That's because froyo is good for everything." Gabriel reasoned, and Anna rolled her eyes. 

She looked over to where Dean sat on the porch swing with Cas snuggled against his side and Alfie settled in his lap. They looked content, complete. She smiled. 

"They really are a beautiful family." She murmured. From beside her, Sam caught her wistful tone and smiled at her.

"Don't worry; it'll happen for you someday, too." He promised. Anna blushed and looked away, but Sam saw the pleased little smile that tugged at the corners of her mouth. 

Mary watched the exchange from where she sat with John. She smiled up at her husband, "Well, that will make holiday plans a lot easier." 

He smirked and shook his head, "Honestly, Woman, will you never stop meddling?" 

"What? Alpha and beta pairings are very common." She justified.

Only Michael saw the uncomfortable grimace that had flashed across Gabriel's face as Sam and Anna spoke. Michael sighed softly and shook his head. Not again... 

Alpha and beta pairings may have been very common, but alpha and alpha pairings were not, and for good reason. Had Gabriel learned nothing from the last time?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay for stepdads! Some people had asked about Crowley's role in Cas and Alfie's life, so I thought I'd write to clear up any confusion. If you were expecting more from him, I'm sorry. He's just not really one of the characters I devote a lot of time to (but if you want some Crowley/Cas or even some Crowley/Dean/Cas, I'd strongly recommend looking at YamiAki96's tumblr; she's got some great 3-way stuff!).
> 
> However, I'm always up for a good love triangle, and I'm a sucker for Sabriel, so I thought I'd use Anna, Sam, an Gabe to incorporate some of that into the story. 
> 
> Ok, let me know what you think!! Byeeeee.


	16. Best Gift Ever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I miss having a baby." Cas suddenly admitted. Dean froze, unsure of where this conversation was going. 
> 
> "Okay?"

"Haaaaaaaaapy birthdaaaaaaaay to yooooooou!" Alfie clapped excitedly as everyone finished singing to him. 

"Blow out the candle!" Dean reminded. Alfie bent over the Batman cake to blow at the three candles. Dean grinned up at Cas, who was recording everything with his phone. The omega chuckled when Dean had to lean over to help Alfie. 

"Did you make a wish?" Anna asked when Alfie stood back up.

"Wish?" He asked, his tone confused. 

"Yeah, you ask for something you want to happen." She explained, and Alfie grinned. 

"More toys!" He cried excitedly, and all the adults chuckled. 

"In a second, buddy, "Dean assured. "Let's eat the cake first." 

They passed the out the cake, and the toddlers, of course, got more on their faces and clothes than in their tummies. 

Gabe sighed dramatically. "At least the adults appreciate my work."

Sam chuckled from beside him and nodded, "Yeah, man. This is super delicious. Good job!" 

Gabriel had to hide his proud grin, silently basking in the praise. 

\--------------------------------

Alfie and the other toddlers ran around the back yard, playing with Alfie's new toys while Anna and Sam chased after them to make sure that no one got hurt. Dean and Cas sat on the patio, watching the commotion and talking to some of the other parents.

"So, he's old enough to attend preschool now." Hael observed, and Cas nodded. 

"Yes. We've already got him signed up to start next Monday. Which, not having to find babysitters will be nice," He explained, but there was a note of sadness in his voice. Andrea smiled empathetically. 

"Yeah, I was kind of sad when Inaias had to go." Hael admitted, smiling fondly at her own son who was playing with Alfie.

"Kind of?" Gad echoed incredulously. "She cried every morning for a week straight."

"Oh, shush!" Hael smacked him on the arm. Dean chuckled. 

"Don't worry if you have to cry, Babe," Dean assured Cas. "I'll probably be right there with you." Cas squeezed his hand. 

"Oh, that's so sweet, brother! You just let it all out." Benny teased, and Dean grinned.

"There'll be a single manly tear, right here." Dean pointed at his cheek.

\-----------------------------

That next Monday, when they dropped Alfie off at daycare on their way to work, Cas did tear up a little bit. 

"I'm being silly." He said as Dean pulled back out into traffic. "I mean, he already loves it. Did you see the way he just ran off to play with Inaias and Kevin? Didn't even say goodbye."

Dean smiled. "Yeah, and the teacher Charlie seems nice, too. She'll take good care of him," He assured his mate. "It's part of growing up, Babe." 

"I know. Doesn't make it easier." Cas sighed. They fell into comfortable silence as Dean drove toward Mary's pediatrics office where Cas worked. 

"I miss having a baby." Cas suddenly admitted. Dean froze, unsure of where this conversation was going. 

"Okay?" 

"When do you want to start having kids?" Cas asked, and Dean shrugged. 

"Honestly, babe, you know I want a big family. I just..." He hesitated. 

"What?" Cas asked, and Dean grimaced. 

"Is this because you actually want to start trying for kids or because you're feeling nostalgic about Alfie?" He hurried on to explain. "I mean, I'm not saying that there can't be a little bit of both, but I don't want us to rush into anything before we're ready."

Cas considered what he said. "I don't know. I mean, I know that I want to have kids with you, but..." He trailed off, unsure of how to label his hesitation. 

"How about this; we give it three months. By then, the emotional upheaval will have passed, and we can decide if we're really ready for more pups," Dean suggested. "And if the answer's yes, you can make an appointment with Balthazar to stop the suppressants." 

Cas thought about it for a moment, then nodded. "That sounds fair." 

"Good." Dean pulled into the parking lot behind Mary's office and put the car into park. He leaned across the center console, "Now, give me a kiss."

Cas smiled. "I love you, Dean."

"Love you too, Cas." Dean murmured against his mouth. Cas got out of the car as Dean reminded him, "I'll pick you up for lunch. We'll go to Applebee's." Cas nodded and blew him another kiss before shutting the car door and heading inside.

\-----------------------------

The three months flew by. Between work and Alfie and Dean, Cas was busier than he could have imagined, but the thought remained at the back of his mind. It was the week before Thanksgiving when Cas rolled over to face Dean one morning and whispered, "Yeah, I think I'm ready." 

Dean didn't have to ask what he meant. His grin nearly split his face as he whispered back, "Well then, we better start practicing." 

\----------------------------

Cas's first heat hit almost immediately after they ended the suppressants. Dean had the enviable job of calling Cas's boss to tell her that Cas wouldn't be in for a few days. 

"Oh! Well, that came on quickly!" Mary said. "Tell Cas to not worry about it; I'll just call in Hannah." She assured him, and Dean rolled his eyes. Yeah, cause Cas was really going to be concerned about work.

A mischievous note entered Mary's voice as she teased, "Now, you take good care of that omega of yours." 

"Geez, mom. Embarrassing much?" Dean groaned. 

"Oh, you know I'm just teasing! Have you figured out what to do with Alfie?" 

"Yeah, Anna came by to get him a few minutes ago." Dean explained.

Right then, Cas called from the bedroom with a wrecked voice, "Alpha, please!" And wow, yeah, Dean should not be on the phone with his mom when Cas's scent was doing such horribly wonderful things to his crotch. 

"Uh, gotta go." Dean said and hung up as he practically ran back up the stairs toward their room. 

\-------------------------

They all woke up early on Christmas morning. Well, that wasn't the plan, but Alfie ran in and jumped on their bed until they woke up. 

"Are you sure we can't put him back in the crib?" Dean grumbled. 

"No, he's getting too big for it." Cas replied as he forced himself to sit up and rub the sleep from his eyes. Dean sat up as well and frowned at Alfie. 

"Do you know what happens to pups who wake papa and daddy up early?" He asked. Alfie shook his head, eyes wide. A slow grin spread across Dean's face. "They get attacked by the tickle monster!" He cried as he pulled Alfie toward him and started tickling his stomach and sides. Alfie squealed and giggled as he tried to wriggle away. 

Cas chuckled and threw the covers off of him. "I'm not getting involved in this."

"Oh, really?" Dean asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Dean..." Cas's voice held a warning note, but Dean still reached across and pulled him in.

Several minutes later, when they finally made it out of bed, they moved down to the living room to open gifts. Alfie loved his new Avengers action figures and immediately waged them in an epic battle against each other while Dean and Cas opened their gifts. Dean had bought Cas a bumblebee tea pot and gardening tools he'd seen at Home Depot. Cas gave Dean some new parts for the car he was restoring. 

"I checked with Bobby to make sure everything was right." Cas explained, and Dean leaned across to kiss him on the cheek.

"Thank you. This'll save me so much time!"

"And there's one other thing." Cas hedged, smiling.

Dean glanced down at the tree to check for anything he might have missed, but Cas shook his head. 

"It's not down there" Cas explained at Dean's confused expression. "It's in here." He pointed at his stomach. Dean froze as Cas's words sunk in, and then his face lit up as his hands moved to touch Cas's stomach reverently. 

"Seriously?" He asked, his tone hopeful, his eyes bright and excited. Cas nodded, tears welling at the awe in Dean's voice. Dean pulled him close and cupped his face, using his thumbs to wipe at the tears there. He kissed his omega gently and then leaned down to press a soft kiss against Cas's flat stomach. 

"Hi, baby. It's your daddy." He whispered. He smiled up at Cas, but kept his lips near the omega's tummy. "You are definitely daddy's best Christmas gift ever."


	17. Sometimes, Surprises Are a Good Thing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The family attends Michael's next wedding; Dean dotes on a very pregnant Cas, Sam and Gabe discuss control, and the mates run into an old friend.

Cas stood in front of the full-length mirror in their bedroom, regarding his reflection with a critical eye. He turned to one side, then to the other, before he finally gave up and sighed dolefully. Dean walked in just then and caught his discontent expression. 

He walked up behind him and wrapped his arms around his middle.  
"What's wrong, babe?" He asked, and Cas grimaced. 

"I look like a blimp." He muttered, and Dean glanced down. At just over seven months pregnant, the omega's stomach was very prominent. Dean ran his hands over the bump, smiling as Cas's hands moved to cover his own.

"Really? I thought you looked like my very beautiful mate." Dean said, and Cas couldn't fight his smile. 

"I know, I'm just self-conscious, I guess. And this suit does nothing to help." He growled, pulling at the unflattering grey maternity suit that they'd bought for Michael's wedding. 

"I think it looks great." Dean said, and Cas shook his head.

"It makes me look ginormous!" 

"It's a maternity suit, babe. It makes you look even more adorable," Dean assured him. 

"You have to say that; you're my mate," Cas grumbled petulantly.

Dean smiled proudly, "Exactly! I am going to be the luckiest alpha there. I'll have my gorgeous, pregnant omega by my side, and everyone is going to be raging jealous." Dean kissed Cas's cheek as the omega blushed. 

"You really think so?" 

"That you're gorgeous? Always." Dean promised. 

\----------------------------

"So what number is this?" Dean asked as they drove to the church after dropping Alfie off at Mary's. Cas took a moment to count in his head before responding, "Six, I think." 

Dean whistled. "Boy's got himself quite the collection." 

"Yeah, and those are just the ones that panned out," Cas said. "There have been a few that didn't quite make it to the altar. In fact, I think he had one that he was going to marry when you and I first met." 

"What happened to her?" 

"Naomi didn't approve." 

"Ouch." Dean winced. "Now I'm doubly glad I passed." Cas smiled across at him. 

"Me too. But honestly, even if she hadn't approved, I think I still would've stuck with you." Cas admitted. 

\------------------------

The ceremony was the same as all the others; Cas was pretty sure Michael had been using the same "personally written" vows for the past three weddings. Gabriel and Luci still managed to tear up and exchanged hankies to wipe the tears with. Both Naomi and Michael glared at them, but it did nothing to deter the brothers' antics. 

They stopped almost immediately when the wedding planner, Pamela, slid her finger across her throat in a threatening gesture. Everyone was kind of afraid and slightly in awe of her, which was probably why Michael kept using her.

After the ceremony, the wedding party stayed behind to take pictures while the rest of the guests moved ahead to the reception hall. Cas was usually part of the wedding party, but with the pregnancy, he'd decided to forego this one. She hadn't said it outright, but Cas could tell that Pamela had been grateful for the decision. 

When Dean and Cas arrived at the reception hall, Dean kept his arm wrapped around Cas's waist as they wandered around looking for their seats. They found their name cards at a round table near the front, and Cas grimaced as Dean helped him slowly lower himself into the uncomfortable chair. 

"Thanks, Babe." Cas murmured, and Dean leaned down to press a gentle kiss against his forehead before taking his own seat next to him. 

"How are things going down there?" Dean asked with a tender smile as his hand smoothed over Cas's bump. Cas smiled indulgently, "Pretty much the same as when you checked in the car." 

Dean flushed, smiling guiltily. "Sorry, I don't mean to be so..." He trailed off and made a futile gesture with his hand, but Cas shook his head.

"I think it's nice. You know I like being looked after," Cas assured him. Right then one of the waiters approached and asked for their drink order. 

"Coffee for me and...ginger ale?" Dean asked, and Cas nodded. "Ginger ale for him." The waiter left and Dean reached across to take Cas's hand in his. Cas ran his thumb along the back of his alpha's hand as his eyes wandered around the room to study the other guests as they arrived. 

He suddenly pulled Dean's hand toward him and laid it flat against his stomach. "It's kicking again." 

Dean grinned excitedly as he felt the pup kicking against where his hand rested. 

"He's an active little thing, isn't he?" He murmured, almost to himself. 

"Gets it from his daddy," Cas teased, and Dean chuckled. 

\---------------------------

Gabe stood guard by the massive four-tier cake he'd created for the reception, glaring at anyone who dared to walk too close. 

"Wow, I think you just made that little girl over there cry," Sam teased as he walked up. 

Gabe grinned, "You gotta be tough with 'em, Sammy. They're vultures."

At first, Sam had hated when Gabe had called him Sammy. Slowly, he'd come to accept it. Now, he actually kind of liked it, which was odd. He usually hated the name when it came from anyone but Dean. But he guessed that Gabe just had that kind of personality.

"I'm sure. This, uh, this looks really good," Sam complimented.

"Thanks! It tastes even better," Gabe promised. Sam lifted his eyebrows imploringly, but Gabe shook his head. "Nuh uh! No one is touching this cake until it's time to cut it." 

Sam reached around Gabe to point toward the back, "But if we take a tiny little piece from back there, no one will even notice!" Gabe had to fight to keep from leaning into the heat of Sam's arm. He had to fight even more to resist those big puppy dog eyes. 

"Sorry, Sammy. Rules are rules!" 

"That's something I taught him." The powerful voice came from behind them, and they both turned to find a beautiful alpha standing there. 

"Kali!" Gabe sounded surprised.

"Hello, Gabriel." She murmured, holding out her hand toward him. He took it and bowed low as he kissed the top. He turned toward Sam, still holding the alpha's hand in his. "Sam, this is an old friend of mine, Kali. Kali, this is my brother-in-law's brother, Sam." 

Same tried to keep his expression neutral; weren't he and Gabe friends too? 

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Sam said. She nodded her head in acknowledgment, but she didn't extend her hand to him like she had to Gabe. 

She turned back to Gabe and stepped into his space, grasping his chin firmly, her long nails digging into the skin there. "You haven't been to see me in some time. Why?" 

"I've been a little busy with work," Gabe hedged, and she frowned. 

"Gabriel, you of all people know that one should never be too busy for pleasure. Come see me soon," She commanded, and then released his chin and strode away. 

Sam frowned after her retreating back. If he didn't know any better, he'd say that was a very classy version of a booty call, but that was impossible. They were both alphas, and alphas didn't play well together. "What did she mean, come see her?" He asked without thinking. Gabe chuckled nervously as he rubbed at the nail marks on his chin.

"Let's just say that Kali and I have..." He searched for the right word, "an understanding. She likes controlling things, and I..." He made a vague gesture with his hand. 

Sam's eyes lit with comprehension. So it was about sex. "But, she's an alpha."

"That she is," Gabe agreed.

"And you're an alpha," Sam pointed out. Gabe nodded again, "Two for two." 

"How does that work, two alphas?" Sam asked, and Gabe sighed heavily. 

"Some alphas get off on control, especially when they can control other alphas. Some alphas like to be controlled, so the arrangement works." 

"And you're an alpha who likes to be controlled?" Sam asked, and Gabe nodded. "But, based on your personality, you seem so..." Gabe arched an eyebrow, and Sam flushed. "I just wouldn't think that you'd obey very well." 

"Not usually, no. But given the right incentive..." Gabe let the thought hang between them. 

Sam shook his head again, "But why? I mean, I could never give up control like that."

"And that's fine; it's not for everybody." Gabe said. He thought for a moment before speaking again. "Sammy, how long have you known me?" He asked, and Sam took some time to think. 

"Since Dean's bachelor party." 

"Right, which was just about a year ago. In all that time, I feel like you should have learned at least one thing about me," Gabe said. Sammy raised his eyebrows, waiting for Gabe's one thing. "You can't fit me into your tiny little preconceived boxes." Sam flushed guiltily, but before he could apologize, Gabe was pointing at something over Sam's shoulder. "I think my sister's looking for you." 

Gabe turned away to greet another guest, and Sam smarted at the easy way Gabe had dismissed him. He went to find Anna. As soon as he walked away, Gabe released the tense breath he'd been holding. 

"It won't work, you know." Gabe didn't have to turn to know that it was Michael speaking. 

"I know," He agreed easily, even though his heart clenched at the words.

"Good. We don't want a repeat of last time," Michael warned. He turned to walk away, but paused. "I can't cover up anymore of your messes." 

Gabe sighed heavily and ran a hand over the back of his neck. Maybe he would go see Kali soon.

\-------------------------------

Dean and Cas were circling around the edge of the room, greeting friends and family that Cas hadn't seen since Michael's last wedding.

"Who was that?" Dean asked as they left a table full of inebriated omegas. 

"A few of Michael's previous mates." Cas replied. 

Dean arched an eyebrow. "He invites them to his weddings?"

Cas chuckled. "I think it's more like he...strongly requests their presence. Probably to show that there are no hard feelings."

"But there are hard feelings." Dean observed, and Cas shrugged. 

"Not always. I mean, most of them know going in that it's a limited-time offer, so they make their pre-nup airtight, ensuring that they'll get a good deal when the marriage ends." 

"Sounds a little calloused." 

"For most people, it would be. I mean, if you ever tried to pull this shit on me..." Cas whistled and shook his head. "Buddy, you'd be in for it." Dean grinned. 

Dean drew up short as they walked past a table of guests that were there for the bride. 

"Bela?" He asked, his surprise evident. The beta was on a phone call, and she glanced upward, a wide smile covering her face. She motioned for Dean to wait a moment while she finished her call.

"Yeah. I'll call as soon as I get back to the hotel. Ok... Love you too." She ended the call.

"Dean! What is with us meeting in random places?" She asked as she stood to greet him. He allowed her to give him a quick hug, but pulled back to indicate toward Cas as he slid his arm back around him. "You remember Cas?" 

"Ah, yes! Your friend from the diner," She said. 

"Actually, he's my mate now." Dean informed her, and her eyebrow arched. 

"You too?" She asked, and Dean grinned. 

"Bela, did you mate with someone?" 

The beta blushed and pulled out her phone to show them her background, smiling fondly at the photo of herself with a beautiful blonde alpha. "Her name's Lillith, and we've been together for six months."

"That's awesome! I'm glad things are going well for you." 

"It looks like things are going pretty well for you, too. Just look at you, Cas, you're practically glowing! How far along are you?" She asked, glancing down to where Dean's hand rested against Cas's swollen stomach. 

"Seven months last week," Castiel responded, smiling up at Dean. 

"That's fantastic. Do you know the sex yet?" 

"No, we want to be surprised," Dean answered, and she smiled.

"You know, sometimes surprises are a good thing."

\--------------------------

Dean and Cas left the reception right after the cake cutting. The omega was too worn out to stay for the dancing and gifts. He drifted off almost as soon as Dean had helped him into the car. When he woke again, they were back in their driveway, and Dean was standing outside the open passenger door.

"Alfie?" Cas asked drowsily.

"I called mom, and she said she could keep him for the night," Dean explained.

"That was nice of her." Cas murmured.

"Well, he was already down for the count, so it was easier for everybody. Plus, now I can spend the evening taking care of you two." Dean rubbed Cas's tummy, and Cas hummed appreciatively. "Okay, let's get you inside." 

He helped Cas climb out of the car and wrapped an arm around his waist to support him as they walked to the door. Cas's head drooped against his shoulder, and the alpha chuckled. 

"Sleepy omega." He teased. 

Cas frowned. "Hey! Who's doing all the heavy lifting here?" He objected. Dean pressed a gentle kiss against his temple, "You are, of course." 

\-----------------------

With a gentle hand on his back, Dean helped Cas climb the stairs to their room. Cas had to pause halfway up to catch his breath, and Dean waited patiently, rubbing little circles against his lower back until the omega was ready to climb the rest of the way. 

Balthazar had assured them that climbing the stairs was good exercise for Cas and the pup, but their room being on the second floor did make things a little difficult for him, especially when he woke up in  
the middle of the night craving weird things like pickles and cream cheese. Dean always insisted that he didn't mind going downstairs to get whatever his omega was craving at the time, but Cas still tried to avoid it whenever possible. 

When they got to their room, Dean settled him back on some pillows against the headboard then knelt down to remove the omega's shoes and socks. 

"Thank you." Cas mumbled, and Dean kissed the inside of his ankle before standing again. 

"Ready to get out of these clothes?" Dean asked, and Cas nodded. He slowly stood back up and let Dean help him out of the maternity suit and other clothing. Once he was undressed, Dean walked over to their dresser and opened the drawer with their pajamas. 

"You want bees or butterflies tonight?" He asked over his shoulder. 

"You choose for me." Cas replied, so Dean set the pregnancy night dress with the butterflies back into the drawer and took the one with the bees to Cas. He slipped the cool cotton over the omega's head and couldn't help his smile. 

"What's got you so smiley?" Cas asked as he climbed back onto the bed and settled against the pillows. 

"You just look really adorable in that dress." Cas blushed and held out his hand toward Dean. The alpha moved toward the bed, stripping down to his boxers before he climbed into bed next to his omega. He took the extended hand and kissed the palm before reaching down to press another kiss against Cas's bump.

"You were so amazing today with my family," Cas praised. "You always are." 

"What can I say? I just have that natural charm," Dean admitted, and Cas giggled. 

"There's no need to get a big head about it!" Cas play scolded. 

"Oh, I have every reason to have a big head right now. I have a beautiful mate, a very happy pup, and another healthy pup on the way. It's everything I wanted." 

He sighed softly, his eyes turning distant. "You know, when I was over in Afghanistan, there were days I was sure that I wasn't going to make it home. But I promised myself that if I did, I was going to find myself a mate and start a family." He smiled at Cas, "And my very first week back, I found you, the most perfect mate I could have ever imagined, and you already had a family perfectly tailored for me. And now, we get to grow that family. So, I feel like I'm justified with my big head." 

Cas smiled contentedly. "Yeah, I guess you are." They lay there in silence for several minutes, and Dean had just started to drift off, his fingers tracing light circles on Cas's belly, when the omega whispered, "Dean?" 

"Yeah, baby?" Dean mumbled. 

"I kinda want some ice cream..."

\----------------------

Back at the reception hall, Michael and his new bride had taken to the dance floor, slow dancing in one another's arms as they whispered sweet nothings back and forth. Most of the guests watched the newlyweds, their eyes misty as they gasped and exclaimed over them. 

Sam's attention wasn't on them, though. His attention was locked on the couple across the room, partially hidden in the shadows as they whispered back and forth. He watched as Gabe smiled flirtatiously at Kali, her own smile growing predatory as she spoke to the shorter alpha. Despite the way his heart clenched in his chest and his stomach spasmed angrily, Sam couldn't seem to tear his gaze away as Kali wrapped a possessive hand around the back of Gabe's neck and led him from the room. 

Suddenly, there was a gentle hand wrapping around his forearm. He looked down to find Anna standing there, her smile tremulous, her eyes misty. Apparently Michael's weddings somehow still affected her. 

"Care for a dance?" He asked, placing his hand over hers. She shook her head and instead inclined her head toward the doors behind them. 

"Let's go for a walk." 

Sam followed her from the hall into the quiet night, breathing in deep gulps of fresh air. 

"It's so stuffy in there!" He muttered, and Anna nodded. 

"Michael always invites as many people as he can manage, so it's always overcrowded," she explained. She pulled him toward the fountain where they'd taken the wedding party photos earlier and sat down on the edge. She patted the stone next to her, and Sam readily sank down beside her. 

She smiled softly and reached up to push his hair behind his hair, running her fingers through it as she continued speaking. "Your hair just keeps getting longer and longer." 

Sam smirked and leaned into the gentle touch, his eyes studying hers closely. There was obviously something on her mind. Her tears started to spill over, and she drew in a deep, shaky breath. 

"Anna?" He murmured uncertainly. She smiled and shook her head gently. 

"We can't do this anymore, Sam," she whispered, her beautiful eyes pained. 

Sam stared at her for several long moments in stunned silence. He finally managed a choked, "What?" 

"It's not working anymore, sweetheart," she explained, her voice thick with emotion. 

"What do you mean it's not working anymore?" Sam asked, pulling away just enough so that she was forced to drop her hand from his hair. 

"I'm just...I can't keep doing this with you. I can see..." She hesitated, unsure of what she should tell him. She knew he wouldn't believe her words; he'd have to get there on his own. She took a deep breath. "I can see that we're headed in different directions."

"What the hell does that even mean?" Sam asked, his voice growing irritated. 

"Sam, I know it might be hard to accept this, but it...it's necessary. Tonight, I saw your future, and it wasn't me."

Sam's eyes scrunched up in disbelief. "What did you see?" 

"Something that you'll have to figure out on your own, Love," she murmured. 

"That doesn't make any sense! Just tell me why!" Sam pleaded. "Was it something I said or did? Just tell me so I can fix things. I mean, seven months, Anna! I at least deserve an explanation."

Anna placed a hand against his cheek, tears streaming down her cheeks. She looked up at Sam, "I can't tell you everything yet. Just trust me that this is the best way." 

"The best way for who? For you? For me? Who is this best for?!" Sam yelled, frustration obvious in his tone.

Anna sighed and glanced away, her lips pinched tight. She drew a deep breath before looking back up at the tall man. "Sam, you'd do anything for your brother, right?"

Sam nodded, unsure of how her question related to their current discussion. "Of course; you know I would." 

"And I would do anything for mine," She murmured. She stood and reached forward to press one final kiss to his forehead. "Trust me; it'll make sense one day." 

Sam watched her return to the reception, a hollow feeling in his chest. What the hell had she seen?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what did you think?? Enough pregnancy fluff or no? I know, I know, can you ever truly have enough pregnant Cas feels? 
> 
> Also, what do you think about Sammy and Gabe? The story's still gonna be primarily destiel, but a little sabriel never hurt nobody. 
> 
> Yes, these past few chapters have covered a lot of time, and our mates are coming up on their first anniversary; which means...MORE PREGNANT FEELS!! But until then, enjoy!


	18. Wait and See

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean and Cas celebrate their first anniversary of marital bliss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Sorry it's taken so long to post this chapter; I was on vacation. Here, have some shameless domestic pregnancy fluff to make up for the wait.

"I'm heading out, Mary. Hannah's taken over out front," Cas said as ducked his head into Mary's office on Friday afternoon. 

She smiled warmly and stood. "Thanks, Cas. Aw, I'm going to miss having you around here!" She admitted, drawing Cas into a warm hug. It was a little bit of an awkward stretch around his tummy.

"It's only for a few months. And we'll still see each other all the time! I mean, we'll still be over every Sunday for brunch, and you'll definitely be on call for babysitting duty," The omega reminded her as she released him, and she nodded, wiping at tears. Cas had put off his pregnancy leave for as long as possible, but at midway through the seventh month, he knew it was time. 

She patted his stomach. "You just take good care of my granddaughter in there." 

Cas smiled, "Now, you know we haven't found out the sex yet." 

"I can hope, can't I? We need more women in this family!"

"Yeah, but John's really pulling for his first grandchild being a boy," Cas said, and she gave a dismissive wave of her hand. 

"Please, that man doesn't know what he wants. I," she pointed at herself, "know what he wants." Cas laughed; his parents-in-law were always picking at each other, but it was obvious to everyone that their bond ran strong. 

"I'll see you, Mary," Cas said. He started to turn away but paused when she laid a hand on his arm. 

"Cas, thank you, for everything," She murmured, the playfulness gone from her tone. She smiled gently at his confused expression. "When Dean came back, I was so worried. I'd heard about soldiers who... weren't themselves when they returned, or they were but then they changed. And I hoped and prayed that that wouldn't happen to him. And I think that having you in his life kept him from that. You saved him." 

Cas squeezed her hand. "You know that if that's true, it went both ways. He saved us. Alfie and I, I thought that we were good. But then Dean was there, kind of forcing his way into our lives..." 

Mary chuckled as she remembered those first few days after Dean met Alfie in the park, when Cas still refused to go out on a date with him. Dean had tried everything. He'd made a lot more lunch dates with Mary just for the excuse to come by the office and see Cas. He'd brought Cas his favorite drink from Starbucks. He'd offered to look at Cas's car when it started making weird noises. He'd even driven Cas and Alfie around for a few days while the car was in Bobby's shop. 

Almost every time they saw each other, Dean would ask Cas out. And Cas would blush and smile, obviously pleased with the attention, but he'd always politely decline the dates. Mary had been the one to finally corner Cas at work and convince him to try just one date. 

"I know that you've been hurt before," She'd said. "But my son... He's different. He's already met Alfie, and he's still here. And he's stubborn, so if you think you can outlast him in this little tug-of-war," she'd smirked and shaken her head, "you've got another thing coming." 

That Saturday, Cas and Dean had their first date. 

"And now look at you! About to celebrate your first anniversary with a baby on the way. Aren't you glad you listened to me?" She teased. 

\---------------------

When Cas walked outside, Dean was leaning against the parked Impala. Cas's eyes narrowed suspiciously; Dean usually drove the SUV when they picked up Alfie from daycare. Cas's eyes shifted toward the backseat as he drew closer to the car, but his pup wasn't there. 

"Dean, where's our son?" He asked. 

"Hello to you, too," Dean grabbed Cas by the hand and gently pulled him in for a long kiss. When he finally pulled away, Cas's smile was content. "Hello." 

Dean opened the passenger door and helped Cas settle inside. Once he got in on the driver's side, he smiled mischievously. "Alfie is with Anna for the night. You and I," he took Cas's hand and kissed the palm, "are going to celebrate your pregnancy leave."

Cas's smile nearly split his face. "Oh, really? And how are we going to celebrate?" 

"You'll see." Dean kissed Cas's hand once more before linking their fingers and putting the car into drive. 

\----------------------------

When they got back to the house, Dean took Cas up to the bedroom. The omega gasped when he stepped through the door. The lights were set to their lowest setting, casting the entire room in a warm glow. The air smelled like lavender-vanilla, Cas's comfort scent, and the omega sighed as he breathed in deeply through his nose. Rose petals littered the floor, and in the center of the bed sat an unimposing white gift bag with red tissue paper sticking out the top. 

"You did all this for me?" Cas asked, his tone tinged with disbelief. Dean chuckled as he wrapped his arms around Cas and dipped to claim his omega's mouth.

"Happy anniversary, baby," Dean murmured. Cas stiffened under his hands, and Dean ran a soothing hand down his spine. 

"I didn't realize we were celebrating; I haven't gotten you your gift yet." Cas sounded distressed. Dean rolled his eyes as he shook his head and smiled softly.

"Cas, baby, you're about to give me one of the greatest gifts I've ever gotten." He rubbed the top of Cas's bump. "You put so much work and effort into every day, even though I know you have to be dead tired." Dean kissed the tip of Cas's nose. "Let me do something for you."

"I guess." Cas finally capitulated, but his face was still unsure. "I just really wish I had something to give you right now" 

Dean smirked mischievously. "Oh, don't worry; the gift in the bag is for both of us." Cas giggled and turned to go get the bag, but Dean held him firmly in place. "We gotta take care of the important stuff first, baby." He said, his tone grave. Cas's eyebrows arched; what the hell could be more important than a gift for both of them?

"Nap or bath first?" Dean asked. Cas suddenly looked torn as he contemplated the options. His eyes drifted back and forth between the bathroom and the giant king-size bed. Dean chuckled and pulled him toward the bed. "Come on; we'll do the nap first, that way we can be well-rested for the bath." Dean wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"Yeah, but the bath will just make me tired again," Cas protested.

Dean shrugged. "Then we'll take another nap."

Between lazy kisses, Dean helped Cas strip out of his work clothes. They pulled down the covers and Cas slipped in, laying on his side to face the center of the bed. Dean climbed in on his side and faced Cas, their noses only centimeters apart. 

"I love you," The alpha murmured. Cas reached forward and tangled their fingers together between them. 

"I love you, too." 

\------------------------

When Cas woke, the first thing he registered was Dean's deep voice. Cas struggled to understand what he was saying, his sleep-bleary mind jumbling everything. When he finally began to distinguish words, he realized that the alpha wasn't talking to him; he was talking to the baby. 

Dean had scooted down so that he could place his lips right against Cas's tummy, and he was murmuring quietly against the skin there. "We already love you so much, baby; we'll love you no matter what. It doesn't matter if you're a boy or a girl, or what you present as." 

Cas reached down to card his fingers through Dean's hair. He could feel Dean's lips curve into a smile against his stomach as he kept talking. "You are gonna be so loved by so many people; your big brother's already crazy about you." 

Cas smiled as he thought about Alfie and his excitement over the new baby. He was constantly touching and kissing Cas's tummy, babbling to the baby like Dean was talking to it now. Cas figured that he picked it up from watching Dean. 

Dean was still talking. "You'll have mamaw and papaw, Gammy, Uncle Sammy, your Auntie Anna, your uncles Gabe and Mike and Luci. They are all gonna spoil you rotten." Cas chuckled but didn't interrupt. Dean looked up at him then, his bright green eyes meeting Cas's content gaze. "But no one is going to love you more than your papa and I do." 

Cas hummed his agreement, and the baby must have agreed as well because he kicked right against where Dean's mouth was pressed. Dean chuckled and kissed the skin there before sliding back up to Cas. "I can't wait." 

"Just a few more weeks," Cas promised. Dean nodded and kissed him again before sitting up. "You ready for bath time?"

Dean helped him from the bed and led him into the bathroom. Cas sat on top of the toilet as Dean prepared the bath. 

"What did I tell you? The jacuzzi tub was a good investment." Dean said as he dipped his fingers in to test the water temperature. 

Cas smiled indulgently and rolled his eyes, "Yes, you told me." Dean held out his to help Cas up. "Come on, let's get you in." 

He slowly eased Cas into the warm water. Cas leaned forward so that Dean could get in behind him. Cas sighed as Dean slid his hands around to his front and rubbed at Cas's bump. 

"You look so beautiful like this," Dean murmured into Cas's hair. Cas blushed and shook his head. 

"I look like a beached whale," he argued. Dean nuzzled at his neck.

"Definitely not. And even if you did, you'd be the most gorgeous whale out there. You'd make all the other whales jealous," Dean teased. 

Cas blushed. "Shut up," he muttered, but his bashful smile belied the words. 

"No, really! All the other whales would glare at you and whisper jealously about how gorgeous you look. Not to mention your amazing blow hole..." Dean murmured, sucking at his earlobe. Cas giggled and swatted his arm. 

"Stop talking about my blow hole that way," He chided. 

"But it's my favorite!" Dean insisted. Cas's delighted laughter echoed around the bathroom.

Eventually, Dean lathered up his hands and began to gently rub at Cas's back and shoulders, gently massaging the skin there. Cas slouched forward as much as his belly would allow to give him better access. 

"That feels so good," He breathed out. Dean's hands slowly worked around to his front. Cas gasped when the alpha's fingers brushed against his chest. 

"Sensitive?" Dean murmured, his fingers stilling. Cas nodded but arched into the touch as he gasped out, "Don't stop." 

"I can't wait til you're breastfeeding," Dean admitted, and Cas chuckled breathily, "Do I sense a kink there?" 

Dean nipped at his neck, drawing a startled yelp from his omega as his hands slid down Cas's belly to slip beneath the water. "Absolutely." 

\---------------------------

Cas slumped back against Dean, his body deliciously loose and heavy. "That was nice," He murmured. "Give me five minutes and I'll return the favor?" 

Dean hummed appreciatively. "While we wait..." He murmured. He grabbed two of Alfie's toy cars from the bucket next to the tub and started running them over Cas's belly, making engine noises. 

Cas chuckled and shook his head. "I married an actual five-year-old." 

Dean ignored him as he began to move the two cars toward each other across the bump. "Oh no! They're going to collide! Abort! Abort!" He ran the two toys together and made an explosion sound, adding a few shrieks and tiny cries for help as the two cars tumbled into the water. 

Cas giggled and grabbed at his hands, lacing their fingers together. "You ready for me to return the favor?" 

"Yeah, but I think we'll both enjoy it a lot more if you open your anniversary gift first," Dean suggested. 

Cas's mind returned to the still unopened gift that had been sitting on the bed earlier. 

"What's in it?" He asked eagerly. 

"You'll just have to wait and see," Dean whispered.


	19. We've Got This

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She knew without a doubt that she'd made the right decision; didn't mean that it was easy. But she'd seen the way her brother looked at Sam. And even though Sam wasn't ready to admit it yet—hell, he probably wasn't even aware of it yet—he'd been looking right back at Gabe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You all wanted Sabriel, so it is with greatest pride and deepest pleasure that I give you... The Sabriel chapter! 
> 
> Yes, I did throw in some Destiel stuff bc poor Cas needs to get that kid outta there. Poor Cas... Who am I kidding? Poor Dean! 
> 
> Sorry it took so long to post this one; I literally started and re-started it like four times before I got it where I liked it. So, anyways, enjoy.

Cas, Anna, Gabe, and Alfie had just finished lunch at the kitchen table when the doorbell rang. 

"I'll get it," Anna offered, and Cas smiled gratefully at her as he shifted in his chair. His hand moved to rub at his swollen stomach as he grimaced. This kid had to get here soon; Cas spent most of his time feeling like a balloon that was about to pop. 

"Baby," Alfie said, reaching across to pat Cas's tummy. Cas smiled tenderly, "You ready to be a big brother?" Alfie nodded eagerly. 

Gabe smirked at the pup. "Aw, it's the greatest job ever, Alfie! All the pranks and embarrassment! You have so much to learn," Gabe said, ruffling Alfie's hair. 

"Don't you go giving him any ideas," Cas warned, pointing his finger at his older brother. "Being the younger sibling is hard enough." 

"I second that," Sam said as he followed Anna into the kitchen. 

"Sammy!" Gabe and Alfie cried in unison. 

"Hey, guys." Sam offered a small wave in their direction. He turned to Cas. "Is Dean at work?" 

"Yeah, he's picking up some extra hours before the baby gets here. What's up?" 

"I'm here to get my jersey; I think he grabbed it after last week's game by accident." 

"Oh, then it'll be in the blue basket in the laundry room," Cas explained, gesturing over his shoulder. 

"I know where it is," Anna murmured, her shoulders oddly tight as she headed for the laundry room. Sam followed after her, his own movements stiff.

As soon as they were out of earshot, Gabe turned to Cas, his eyebrows arching. "Trouble in paradise?" 

"You wish," Cas muttered, and Gabe grimaced uncomfortably. He ducked his head, rubbing the back of his neck. 

"Is it really that obvious?" He asked. 

"Only to those of us that know you," Cas assured him. 

Unfortunately, Anna did know him, which was why she'd made her decision. She knew without a doubt that she'd made the right decision; didn't mean that it was easy. But she'd seen the way Gabe looked at Sam. And even though Sam wasn't ready to admit it yet—hell, he probably wasn't even aware of it yet—he'd been looking right back at Gabe. 

Even though nothing had come of it yet, Anna was sure that the two alpha's would eventually find their way to each other. But for now, she and Sam were slowly talking, getting used to each other as extended family. After she retrieved the jersey and handed it back to Sam, she rushed back out to the kitchen. Sam let out a heavy sigh as he followed her. He held up the jersey as he passed through. "Thanks, Cas." 

"You don't wanna stay for some lunch?" Cas offered from where he stood by the fridge, but Sam shook his head. 

"I really don't wanna impose on your sibling time," He hedged. Cas shook his head and gestured toward the empty seat next to Gabe. "You're not imposing. Besides, you're my brother now—" He cut off with a gasp, his hand moving to his belly. 

Anna looked up, immediately concerned. "What's wrong, Cas?"

Cas stared at her, his mouth open in a silent O. 

"Cas?" Sam asked, taking a step toward his brother-in-law. 

"Papa pee!" Alfie cried with a giggle. All of the adults' eyes slid to the floor below Cas where a puddle was slowly forming. 

"Cas?" Gabe asked, his tone a mixture of fear and disbelief. 

"I think my water just broke," Cas murmured. Silence reigned for a full thirty seconds, and then panic erupted. 

"Holy shit! Holy shit! What do we do?" Gabriel cried, grabbing Sam by the arm. 

Sam stared at him incredulously. "I don't know! I'm a lawyer not a doctor!" He yelled. 

Gabe grabbed fistfuls of his hair while Sam started pacing back and forth, mumbling about hospitals and ambulances as he checked his pockets for his phone. Alfie started crying in response to the others' panic. 

Anna was the only helpful one, leading Cas to a chair and rubbing his back. "What do you need?" 

"Get those idiots out of here," Cas jerked his head toward the two alphas. Anna nodded and turned to the alphas, her face determined. 

"Okay, dumbasses. Get out of here; you're not helping." 

"I can be helpful!" Gabe protested, but Anna rolled her eyes. 

"Sure, you're just full of—" She began, but Cas interrupted. 

"Actually, why don't you take Alfie with you for the afternoon? Keep him busy until it's all over." 

"Yeah, I can do that," Gabe murmured, looking toward Alfie. "Come on, big guy. Let's get your shoes on." Alfie climbed down from his chair and followed Gabe out into the hall. 

"What can I do?" Sam asked, finally calming. 

Cas smiled up at him, "Anna and I have got this. If you wanna help Gabe with Alfie, I'm sure they wouldn't mind the company." 

Sam nodded eagerly. "Of course! I'll, uh, I'll just go with them. Do you want me to call Dean?" 

"Could you? Tell him to get his ass home...now!" Cas grit out, the first of the real discomfort coming on. 

"Right!" Sam agreed, pulling out his phone. Dean picked up after the second ring. 

"Sammy! What's up?" Dean answered. Sam could hear the sounds of the garage behind him. 

"Hey, uh, you need to get home." 

"Ok...why?" Dean asked, his confusion evident. 

"Uh, Cas's water broke?" It came out like a question, and Dean yelled, "What?" 

"Cas's water broke," He repeated. 

"I heard you the first time! I'll be right there," Dean promised before he hung up. 

Sam ducked his head back into the kitchen. "Dean's on his way." 

"Thanks, Sam. Now get my son the hell out of here before I start yelling," Cas commanded between heavy breaths. "Take the SUV. The keys are in the bowl by the front door." Sam nodded and hurried toward the front hall. He grabbed the keys from the bowl and turned to Alfie and Gabe. 

"Let's go!" He said, scooping the pup up and carrying him out the house with Gabe trailing behind. 

"I think I need help, too. I'm having trouble with my leg," He complained, and Sam smirked. 

"Man up, princess." 

"As long as you're the prince," Gabe sing-songed. He smiled gleefully when Sam blushed. Sam buckled Alfie into his booster seat and then slid behind the wheel as Gabe walked around to climb into the passenger seat.

"Let's go grab some lunch." Gabe suggested as they pulled out of the driveway.

"You just ate!" Sam protested. 

"Yeah, but then I went through some very emotional trauma!" Gabe countered. "I bet Alfie's hungry too. You hungry Alfie?" He called toward the backseat. 

"Macaroni!" Alfie yelled excitedly. 

"You heard the man." Gabe smirked across at Sam, and the bigger alpha rolled his eyes. 

\-------------------

They ended up at a small diner in town. Alfie got his macaroni and cheese while Sam ordered an entire chicken to devour. Gabe ordered the chocolate pie. 

"I thought you were hungry?" Sam asked, eyeing Gabe's dessert. 

"Mm, ravenous!" Gabe confirmed, shoving another bite into his mouth and humming with pleasure. 

"But that's dessert." Sam pointed out. 

"Yeah, maybe to you," Gabe scoffed.

"Maybe to the majority of humanity," Sam countered, rolling his eyes. 

"Everybody has their preferences. You like poultry," he motioned toward Sam's plate, "Alfie likes macaroni." He pointed at the pup, whose cheeks were covered in cheese sauce. 

"Macaroni!" Alfie cried excitedly. 

"Yeah!" Gabe agreed, grinning excitedly at his nephew. "And I like pie." He scooped another bite onto his fork and held it out toward Sam. "You should try it." 

Sam eyed him warily, and then he slowly leaned forward and wrapped his lips around the fork, his eyes never leaving Gabe's. Gabe's pupils dilated as they dropped to study the other alpha's lips. Sam pulled off of the fork and licked his lips with a smirk. 

"It has its advantages, I suppose," He conceded. Gabe's smile nearly split his face. 

\-----------------

"Oooooowww!" Cas groaned, gripping Dean's hand tight enough to make the alpha wince. Cas was sitting on a chair at the kitchen table while Dean kneeled down next to him. Anna was looking on in mild horror as Cas's body twisted uncomfortably. 

"Babe, are you sure you don't wanna go to the hospital yet?" Dean asked for what felt like the twentieth time, his distress evident in his tone. Cas glared at him. 

"No! Balthazar said to wait until the contractions were three to four minutes apart, so we are going to wait, dammit!" His face twisted as another burst of pain hit.

"But we're at five minutes; isn't that close enough?" Dean reasoned. "I'm sure by the time we get there, they'll be four minutes apart, at least!" 

"Dean Winchester, you listen to me and you listen to me good," Cas growled, fisting a hand in Dean's shirt. The alpha's eyes widened in shock, but he nodded to indicate that he was listening."I am going to stay in the comfort of my own home until I absolutely have to go. And that is final!" 

"Of course, Babe! I'm just saying, they have stuff there at the hospital to help lessen the pain...for both of us," He flexed his fingers, which he was pretty sure Cas would actually break with the next contraction. 

"Oh, your fingers are fine!" Cas sniped. "Man up!"

\--------------------

"Minions?" Sam asked, his face showing his distaste as he stared up at the theater marquee. "What the hell are minions?" He glanced down at Alfie who was jumping around them excitedly. 

Gabe ignored Alfie to stare up at him in disbelief. "Have you never seen Despicable Me?" 

"Uh...no?" He admitted. 

"Ok, skip the theater. We're going back to my place for a Despicable Me marathon." 

"But we're already here..." Sam complained. Gabe rolled his eyes. 

"Fine. It's not like this one's actually relevant to the plot of the other movies." He grumbled. He walked up to the window and handed the bored looking teenager a twenty and a five. "Two adults and one pup for Minions, please." 

"I could've gotten mine," Sam protested when Gabe handed him his ticket. 

"Nah, you're buying the snacks," Gabe said as he led them inside toward the concessions counter. 

Between the popcorn and the candy and the drinks, the snacks cost almost as much as the tickets. 

"Are we really going to eat all this?" Sam asked, eyeing the jumbo sized popcorn that Gabe was smothering in butter with distaste. Gabe nodded happily as he added salt as well. 

"I'm actually going to die in a movie theater from clogged arteries," Sam muttered as he followed Gabe and Alfie toward theater 3. 

They found seats at the end of a row near the bottom for Alfie's inevitable potty breaks. Gabe sat on the end, Alfie sat next to him, and Sam sat on the other side of their nephew. 

"Oh, man. I am so excited!" Gabe squealed, causing Alfie to giggle. Sam shook his head wearily, but a soft smile played at his lips.

By halfway into the movie, Alfie had conked out between them, his tiny body slumped against Sam's side. Sam was gently running his fingers over the pup's soft hair as he continued to watch the movie. He glanced over at Gabe, only to find the other alpha studying him. When their eyes met, Gabe smiled before turning his attention back to the movie. 

A few minutes later, Sam heard a phone buzzing. He reached into his pocket to check if it was his phone, eager for news from Dean and Cas, but then saw Gabe pull his own phone out. He frowned down at the screen, his eyebrows drawing together. Sam looked at the screen; he barely saw the name Bartholomew before Gabe was rejecting the call and shoving the phone back into his pocket. 

A couple minutes later, Sam heard the phone buzz again. Gabe stiffened, ignoring the call completely this time. The phone had started buzzing for the third time when Gabe sighed and stood up. He motioned to Sam that he was going to step out, and Sam nodded. Gabe left the theater, his shoulders hunched as he hurried out. 

When he returned several minutes later, he looked even more upset. He sat back down, but from his distant stare it was obvious he wasn't actually watching the movie. Sam reached over Alfie to lay a hand on Gabe's shoulder. The other alpha startled and looked at him. 

"Everything okay?" He mouthed. Gabe offered a tight smile and nodded before purposefully looking back at the screen, ending their conversation.

\------------------

"Dean!" Cas barked out, his hand reaching toward his alpha. 

"What is it, baby?" Dean asked, smoothing Cas's hair back from his sweaty forehead. 

"Fuck you!" The omega growled. Dean looked to Balthazar for help, his distress and confusion evident, but the doctor just chuckled and continued writing something down on his chart. Cas grabbed Dean by the front of his shirt and pulled him close so that they were nose to nose. "Don't look at him! He doesn't need your help; I'm the one suffering here!"

"Babe, I know, but I can't really do anything else for you right now. It's all up to him." Dean gestured toward the doctor, but Cas still glared at Dean. 

"Yeah, but you're the one who did this to me!" He argued. 

Balthazar leaned down to study the omega's cervix. "I think we're close; I want you to really push with this next one," He instructed, and Cas nodded frantically. He looked up at Dean, smiling hesitantly. 

"We've got this, right?" 

Dean pressed a kiss to his sweaty temple. "We've got this," he promised. 

\--------------------

Sam carried a still-sleeping Alfie from the theater, Gabe trailing silently behind him. Sam was worried; Gabe hadn't talked or really smiled once since he got the call. Who the hell was Bartholomew and why did a phone call from him affect the other alpha so much? 

"Gabe, what's going on?" Sam asked when they were back in the SUV, Alfie sound asleep in his booster seat. 

"Nothing," Gabe's reply was automatic, and obviously a lie. 

"No, it's not nothing; something's wrong. Who's Bartholomew?" He asked. Gabe froze and looked over at him warily. 

"Where did you get that name?" He asked. Sam pointed at the phone in his hand. 

"I saw it on your screen in the theater," he explained. Gabe sighed and ran a hand over his face. 

"Don't worry about it, Sam. Just an old...acquaintance of mine." Gabe mumbled, suddenly sounding very tired. Sam frowned; since when did Gabe call him Sam? He was always Sammy. 

He opened his mouth to question Gabe further, but was cut off by his phone buzzing in his pocket. He pulled it out and saw Dean's picture on the screen. He immediately swiped the screen to answer.

"Hey! Any news?" He asked eagerly. 

"Sammy," Dean sounded like he was crying. "I have a baby girl!" 

"Wait, what?" Sam asked, his eyes meeting Gabe's. "We have a niece!" He exclaimed, and Gabe smiled his first real smile since the theater. 

"What's her name?" Gabe asked. Sam relayed the question to Dean. 

"Emma Mary Winchester," Dean replied, his pride obvious in his tone. 

"She's so perfect, Sammy!" Dean said, his voice cracking. Sam felt tears misting in his own eyes as he nodded, "I know, Dean. When can we meet her?" 

"Uh, tomorrow. Cas is kinda worn out right now," Dean explained. Sam nodded, but then remembered that Dean couldn't actually see him. 

"Great! I'll make sure to come by tomorrow. What do you want us to do with Alfie?" 

"Take him to mom and dad's for the night," Dean replied. "And, uh, go ahead and park the SUV back at my place." 

"Will do. See you tomorrow, Dean." 

"See ya, Sammy." They hung up.

\----------------------

Dean returned to join Cas and Emma on the bed. He smiled down at the top of her dark head where she had already latched onto Cas's chest. 

"She looks like you," Cas murmured, studying her tiny face happily. 

"She looks like us." Dean whispered. "Our own little girl." 

Cas turned his face up for a kiss, smiling as Dean's lips brushed against his. "Sorry I yelled at you." 

"It's okay; I know you didn't mean it." 

"Oh, I definitely meant it at the time," Cas admitted slyly, and Dean chuckled. 

"I forgive you anyway. Cause I'm a good mate like that." 

"Hmmm, I'd have to disagree," Cas said. Dean frowned at him until Cas grinned. "I'd say you're the best mate." 

\------------------------

After they dropped Alfie off at John and Mary's, Sam and Gabe drove the SUV back to Dean's house. Sam was starting to grow a little unnerved at the silence. After he parked in the driveway, Sam turned to Gabe.

"Gabe..." He started, but the other alpha shook his head. 

"Don't worry about it, Sam. It's not your problem." Gabe continued to stare blankly out the windshield. 

"I know, but maybe..." Sam tried. Gabe cut him off. 

"I said drop it!" He snapped. "It's not your concern; I'm not your concern!" 

Sam glared at Gabe. "Well, what if I wanted it to be?" Gabe drew in a sharp breath, turning his head to stare at him. 

"You shouldn't say things you don't mean, Sam." 

"How do you know I don't mean it?" Sam argued, but Gabe shook his head. 

"Trust me, I know." Gabe muttered as he threw his car door open and stepped out of the SUV. He headed for his parked car. 

Sam climbed out as well, following after the smaller alpha. "Don't just walk away from me!"

"Go home, Sam. I'll call Anna tonight, clear things up for you." Gabe called over his shoulder, but Sam found that he suddenly wasn't quite so concerned about Anna. 

"Gabe, please!" Sam called, but Gabe was already climbing into his car. He started the car and sped away, leaving Sam alone on the sidewalk to stare after his retreating brake lights. What the hell had just happened? 

Sam pulled out his phone and brought up his contacts list. The phone rang three times before she picked up. "Sam?"

"Anna, we need to talk about your brother."


	20. Okay, Sammy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It had been years since Gabe pulled anything like this; Cas knew there was something wrong. This wasn't just one of his usual tricks. And the fact that he'd talked to Bartholomew before he went missing...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: there is a very brief passing mention of Gabe's former relationship with Bartholomew and some abuse that happened.

"Thanks for meeting me," Sam said a Anna slid into the booth across from him. She smiled shyly, "It's no problem."

"Uh, I didn't know if you'd want anything..." He hedged, and she shook her head. 

"Don't worry about it. So, you wanted to talk about..." 

"Gabe." He stated without preamble. A small smile curved at the corners of the beta's mouth. 

"You finally figured it out, huh?" 

"Finally?" He asked, raising his eyebrows. "You mean, you knew..."

"That he was into you? Of course I did. And I knew that you were into him, too." Sam froze at her words, his eyes flashed to hers, wary. 

"There's no way you could've known that. I just barely figured it out myself!" He cried indignantly, but Anna shook her head. 

"I saw it, at Michael's wedding, when the two of you were talking. You were so jealous when Kali came up to talk to him. You just weren't ready to admit that's what it was, then." She explained kindly. 

"And you're not upset?" Sam clarified. 

She shook her head. "No. Am I a little sad that things didn't work out between us? Sure. But you know, the whole time we dated, I kept thinking about how perfect someone like you would be for him. And then he fell for you, and you started to fall for him, and I knew that was it." 

She said it all so simply, like it made perfect sense. But none of it made sense. Because now that Sam had finally admitted how he felt for Gabe, the other alpha was avoiding him like the plague. 

He sighed and ran a hand over his eyes. "Yeah, well, I don't know. He's not talking to me right now." 

Anna's eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean?" 

"I haven't seen him since three days ago. He won't return my calls or answer my texts. I went by the shop, but he wasn't there." 

Anna looked down at the tabletop, trying to remember the last time she'd talked to Gabe. It had been three days before, when Cas went into labor. She tried to reason with herself; maybe he's just lost his phone or gone on vacation. He wouldn't just disappear, not after he'd finally pulled his life back together again. 

"Did you two get into an argument?" She asked, and Sam shrugged. 

"I don't know! We were doing just fine, watching some cartoon about yellow things with Allie, when he got a phone call and started acting all weird. And when I offered to help him with whatever was going on, he snapped at me and left." 

"Who was the call from?" She asked, her eyes widening. 

"Some guy named Bartholomew?" Sam answered, and her face paled. 

"Shit," she breathed out. "We have to go!" She slid from the booth and hurried toward the door.

"What? Where?" Sam asked, scrambling to follow her. 

"We have to find my brother," she explained as she headed for her car. "Bartholomew is bad news." 

"Is he dangerous?" Sam asked as he slid into the passenger seat. 

"For Gabriel, yes." 

\--------------------------

Cas paced the living room, his hair wild from where he'd been running his fingers through it. 

Dean was speaking into his phone in the other room. "Yeah, okay. I'll let you know if he stops by here. Thanks, Sammy." 

"Anything?" Cas asked, his eyes wide and hopeful. His mate shook his head somberly. 

"No. The apartment was completely trashed. They found his phone there. Apparently, he told the landlord that he was going out of town for a few days and asked him to hold his mail at the desk."

Cas groaned and dropped his face into his hands. It had been years since his brother pulled anything like this; Cas knew there was something wrong. This wasn't just one of his usual tricks. And the fact that he'd talked to Bartholomew before he went missing...

"Hey," Dean murmured, pulling Cas into his arms, "We'll find him, okay? Sammy and Anna are checking with some of his friends, and Luci and Mike are doing everything they can." 

"I know, I just wish I could help," Cas mumbled against Dean's shirt. Dean ran a soothing hand down his back, "I know, baby." 

\----------------------

"Bartholomew was Gabe's boyfriend back in college. They were, uh, quite the novelty." Anna explained as she checked her blind spot and switched lanes. 

"Because they were both alphas?" Sam guessed, and Anna nodded. 

"Yeah, and while they were there, it was fine. Everybody experiments in college, right? But once they graduated and got out into the real world..." 

"It wasn't quite so fine anymore," Sam supplied. Anna looked pained.

"It wasn't just the outside world; it was Bart's boss. The old bastard couldn't accept him, but because he of equality laws, couldn't fire him either. So, he just decided to make life miserable for him." Anna explained. "And Gabe, he tried to make it work; they both did. But then one night while they were..." She hesitated for a moment, "scening, I guess it's called, Bart snapped." 

"Snapped how?" Sam asked, already afraid of the answer. She didn't speak, but her face said everything. 

\---------------------

"I checked his online statement again; nothing there," Mike voice filtered out over the car's speakers. "Not even a cash withdrawal." 

"So he's definitely staying with a friend," Sam reasoned. 

"Right, but we just checked with all of his friends from his contacts list. None of them have heard anything, either." 

"Maybe I should start checking hospitals..." Luci suggested, and Sam's mind rebelled at the thought. He couldn't lose Gabe, not when he'd just figured out how he felt about him. And yeah, it had taken some time, but even Anna had known when she'd seen them with Kali...

"Kali!" He said. 

"Who?" The others said almost in unison. 

"We haven't checked with Kali," Sam said.

"I don't know." Michael sounded hesitant. "Kali isn't really what you'd call a friend. She's more of a...I like to play with my food before I eat it sort of person." 

"But he trusts her." Sam reasoned. "After what happened with Bart before, it would take a lot of trust for him to do that again. And he does it with her." Sam tampered down on the jealousy those words provoked; now wasn't the time. 

"It's worth a shot," Anna said. "Do we know where she lives?" 

"I've got her address. I'll text it to you," Michael said. "Let us know what happens." 

They ended the call and within seconds the text from Michael had come through on Anna's phone. 

"Let's go," Sam said, turning on the phone's GPS to direct them there. 

When they arrived at the upscale neighborhood, they found that all of the houses were gated. They pulled up to the one that matched the address in the text and Anna rang the buzzer. 

"Yes?" A sharp female voice soon responded through the speaker.

"Hi, I'm Anna Milton, Gabriel's sister. I was wondering if you had seen him recently." Anna called. 

"I have not seen your brother," the voice responded almost too quickly. 

Anna looked back at Sam, and he shifted over so he could speak.  
"Please! We've tried everyone else already. Is there anything you can tell us, at all?" 

Silence met his question, and Sam sighed heavily. He'd really thought...

The speaker clicked back on again, but this time, it was Gabriel's voice that came through. "Come on up, guys."

The gate creaked open, and Anna drove through. When they rang the doorbell, Gabe was the one who answered. Anna gasped when she saw him, immediately reaching to pull him into a tight hug. He had a busted lip and a black eye, but he was still alive.

When Anna pulled back, Gabe tried to turn away to go into the house, but Sam stopped him with a hand on his arm. 

"Oh no, you don't," he murmured softly, pulling the other alpha against his chest. Gabe stiffened for a moment, but soon melted into him, his face buried in the fabric of Sam's shirt. "You had me so worried."

"I didn't think it would matter that much," Gabe mumbled. "It was only going to be for a few days, just until Bart left town." 

"Did he do this to you?" Sam asked, pulling back to inspect Gabe's face as he ran finger over his lip. Gabe nodded. 

"Yeah, he was, uh, waiting for me when I got back to my apartment the other night." Gabe explained. "I told him when we talked on the phone that I didn't wanna see him. Guess that didn't make him too happy." 

"You should've called me. I could've helped you," Sam said, but Gabe shook his head. 

"I didn't wanna bug you. I was fine, really." Gabe assured him, but Sam shook his head. 

"It's not a matter of whether you were fine or not. I should have been there for you." Sam argued. 

"Look, Sam, you're not my—" his protest was cut off against Sam's lips. The kiss was gentle but firm, countering any argument Gabe had been about to make. Gabe's mouth was frozen against Sam's until he finally seemed to register what was happening. He grabbed Sam by the back of the head and pulled him deeper into the kiss. 

It was a little awkward, given the height difference between them, but neither let it stop them. When they finally pulled back after several long minutes, Sam's eyes were warm and content. 

"Yes, I am. And to you, it's Sammy, not Sam." He reminded. 

"Okay, Sammy. Okay," Gabe finally conceded before stretching up for another kiss.


	21. You're Telling Me Now

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean slumped back against the couch with a heavy sigh. This was all his fault. Their fight that morning had been stupid. He couldn't even remember what had started it, but like all stupid arguments, it had escalated.

"Stop taking up so much of the couch, Sammy!" Dean griped, shoving Sam over toward Gabe so he could sit on the end. Gabe made a sound of protest as his soda sloshed precariously close to the edge of his cup.

"Dean-o! Watch the drink, man!" He cried, and Dean rolled his eyes as he reached for the remote. Sam brought a hand to the back of his mate's neck and gave a small squeeze, causing the other alpha to shiver. 

Sam had picked up on Gabe's preferences so quickly, taking control when the situation called for it. He'd learned the quiet signals that only they knew, little methods of communication that other people would miss if they weren't looking for them.

Sam leaned down to whisper in his ear, "Dean's just been a little grouchy lately." 

"Yeah, I kinda picked up on that," Gabe muttered back. "Maybe Cassie's not putting out enough?" 

"Would you two stop gossiping like a couple of old maids and hand me the dip?" Dean asked, ignoring the comment that had hit a little too close to home. He changed the channel to Fox where the pre-bowl show had just started.

John came in from the kitchen with a can of Coke in one hand and Emma securely held against his chest with the other. Alfie trailed behind him, happily munching on some crackers. John paused next to the La-Z-Boy.

"You sure you don't want the recliner, Son?" He asked as he set down his soda on the coffee table. 

"Nah, you can take it." Dean said as he scooped some dip onto his plate, obviously distracted by his own thoughts. John shrugged and settled down into the recliner, then held out his free hand toward Alfie. 

"Why don't you come sit up here with papaw and Emma?" He offered, and Alfie eagerly climbed up into his lap. 

"Looks like we've got a fan there!" Gabe observed as he eyed Emma's little onesie with the Kentucky Chiefs arrowhead stitched onto the front. John grinned proudly.

"Got this down at that shop by the gun store." He explained, and Sam snickered, earning a glare from John.

"What? I just never thought I'd see the day when John Winchester would actually admit to visiting a baby store." Sam teased. 

"You just wait til it's your turn for pups." John said, but stopped short, his eyes falling to the mating marks on Sam's and Gabe's necks. A moment of uncomfortable silence fell over the group. No one bothered to correct the mistake; they all knew without saying that as two male alphas, Sam and Gabe couldn't have kids biologically. 

"I'm sorry... I didn't mean..." John floundered, but Gabe shook his head, his expression kind. 

"It's okay. We know you didn't mean anything by it." He squeezed his mate's knee, and Sam was quick to agree. Sam smiled over at Gabe, a look of understanding passing between the two alphas.

They'd been together for five months now. They'd given each other the marks and were building a life together, like any other couple. But because they were both alphas, there were limitations, biologically, socially, and legally. 

"Well, if they really want pups, there's always adoption." Mary supplied as she and Cas came in from the kitchen carrying the snack trays. Gabe smiled at her gratefully as he stood to take the tray from her. It was obvious to him that the idea of two alphas together took some getting used to, for both of Sam's parents, but Mary was trying so hard. 

When he caught the small understanding smile that passed between Gabe and Mary, Dean was suddenly struck by how fortunate he was to have Cas. If Sam and Gabe could make it with all of the shit they had stacked against them, Dean and Cas could make it through a stupid disagreement. 

When his mate got close enough, Dean reached out to take Cas's hand in his, but Cas didn't respond at all to his gentle squeeze. He didn't even look at Dean as he pulled his hand away and moved back toward the kitchen with a call of, "I'll get the guacamole."

Dean felt a pang run through his chest. He leaned back against the couch with a heavy sigh. This was all his fault. Their fight that morning had been stupid. He couldn't even remember what had started it, but like all stupid arguments, it had escalated. 

"We haven't had sex in weeks! You won't even let me touch you anymore!" Dean had cried, frustrated. 

"Oh, so that's what this is about?" Cas had snapped back, his eyes flashing angrily. "Is that it? Better keep fucking or Dean will get angry?" 

Dean had pointed an accusing finger at Cas. "You and I both know that's not what this is about." He'd growled. He'd stepped forward to pull Cas to him, but the omega had stiffened. "See? It's not just in bed! What's going on, Cas? Bored of it already? Ready to move on to the next one like Michael?" 

Even as the words were leaving his mouth, Dean had known they were a mistake. Cas was nothing like his older brother; he was in this for good, not just waiting for the next upgrade. Cas had looked hurt that Dean could even imply otherwise. 

Dean had immediately opened his mouth to apologize, but then the baby monitor was lighting up. 

"I have to go feed Emma. Can you get Alfie up?" Cas had left without waiting for a response, and they hadn't had a moment alone since then.

The fight wouldn't have happened if Dean hadn't let his temper get the best of him. So what, they hadn't made love for a few days? That wasn't worth hurting Cas. But Dean had, and now his omega wouldn't even look at him. 

The alphas were all too busy watching the game to have noticed anything, but Mary had seen it. She came up behind Dean on the couch and tapped his shoulder. He tilted his head back to look at her. 

"Go talk to him." She encouraged softly. 

"I don't think he wants to see me right now." Dean grumbled, but Mary shook her head, 

"He's hurting, and he needs his alpha. Go fix it." She urged. Dean contemplated for another moment before he nodded and stood from the couch. 

Cas stood at the sink, gripping the counter edge as he willed himself not to cry. Why had he just done that? Dean taking his hand had obviously been an attempt to make some peace between them, but Cas had rejected him. 

Dean shouldn't have been the one to apologize, not when Cas was the one in the wrong. Dean had been right; Cas had been distracted for the past couple of weeks. He should have just told Dean that morning; it had been the perfect opportunity. 

He was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't hear Dean come into the kitchen. He stiffened as he felt Dean's arms wrap around him from behind, his big hands splaying across Cas's stomach. Cas's hands moved to grab Dean's, almost as if to remove them.

"No, don't do that, Sweetheart." Dean pleaded, his tone gentle. "Please, let's talk." 

They remained there, frozen like that for a long moment. Then with a soft whimper, Cas sank back against the alpha's chest, and Dean sighed with relief as he accepted his weight. He pressed a soft kiss to Cas's hair before he gently turned him around so that they were facing each other. His hands came up to cup Cas's face as his thumbs smoothed over his cheeks. 

"I'm so sorry." He whispered, and Cas could see the pain in his eyes. It killed Cas because he knew that Dean wasn't hurt over what Cas had said to him, but over what he'd said to Cas. 

"You didn't do anything wrong." Cas whispered. "I'm the one who provoked you with that stupid comment." Dean looked ready to argue, so he reached up to kiss the alpha, his mouth desperate. After several long moments, he pulled back, his expression apologetic.

"I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have gotten angry, not when you were just being honest." Cas admitted.

"Cas..." Dean tried to stop him, but Cas shook his head. 

"You're right, I have been distant lately." He drew a deep breath, his Adam's apple bobbing nervously. "I should have just told you as soon as I knew."

"Told me what?" Dean asked, his eyebrows furrowing. Cas offered a hesitant half smile as he whispered, "I'm pregnant again."

Dean's eyes widened, his hands tightening on Cas's waist as he stared at the omega. His mind struggled to process what Cas had just said. Pregnant... As in, another baby... Another pregnancy... Dean was still recovering from Emma's birth!

"But I thought you were back on the suppressants?" He finally choked out. 

"Yes, but we had to do different suppressants because of the breastfeeding, remember?" Cas reminded him gently. "I don't think they're quite as strong as the old ones. And, uh, we were very enthusiastic on New Years."

"Oh." Dean murmured, his eyes darkening at the memory of Cas's body pressed tight against his, their limbs tangled together as they struggled to quiet their moans against each other's sweat dampened skin. It had been fantastic sex...

"Yeah. Oh." Cas echoed, a sly smile spreading across his face like he knew exactly what Dean was thinking. 

"So when did you find out about it? Two weeks ago?" Dean guessed, and Cas nodded.

"At first I thought it was something I had eaten. After it kept up for a few days, I went to buy the test." Cas shrugged, his expression pained. "And when it showed positive, I kind of panicked. I wanted to tell you right away, but I didn't know how. I'm sorry."

Dean caught the anxiety that flashed across Cas's face, and his heart broke for his omega. He thought about Cas having to keep this all to himself as he worried about Dean's reaction. And no wonder Cas hadn't wanted to tell him; Dean was reacting terribly. Sure, the timing wasn't the greatest, but they'd adapt. Right now, though, he needed to be strong for his mate, show him that everything was going to be okay.

Dean smiled warmly. "Cas, there is absolutely nothing to apologize for; we both played a very big part in this." His fingers brushed over Cas's flat stomach, and he smirked as Cas blushed.

"You're not mad that I didn't tell you?" Cas mumbled.

"You're telling me now." Dean stated simply. "And there's absolutely no reason to panic. We've got this, remember?" Cas studied him warily for only a second longer before a content smile settled across his features.

"We've got this." He replied. He breathed a sigh of relief, releasing weeks of tension as his arms slid around Dean's waist, his face pressing into his mate's neck. He scented his alpha, pulling strength from the familiar spicy blend. 

"I'm glad we're not fighting anymore," Cas eventually mumbled against Dean's neck, and the alpha hummed his agreement. 

"But there's still one little problem..." He said, and Cas pulled back, immediately concerned. Dean grinned wickedly. "We still need to have our makeup sex." 

Cas rolled his eyes, but his smile was eager as he asked, "I take it you have some ideas?" 

Dean nodded. "I think we should send the kids home with mom and dad tonight." 

"Do you think they'd go for that? I mean, what about Emma's feeding?" 

"We've given her formula before. She should be fine for one night with them." Dean reasoned. Cas considered it for a moment and then nodded. Dean still sensed his hesitation. "What?"

"I might be a little uncomfortable since I won't be feeding her." Cas warned, and Dean's eyes dropped to his chest. 

"Oh, I think I may have the perfect solution for that," he muttered, causing Cas to blush.

\-------------------------

"Holy shit." Dean muttered, staring down at Cas in shock. His mate panted as his body writhed against the sheets, his half-lidded eyes locked on Dean's face. "Did you just...?" He asked, his eyes flicking down to the omega's swollen chest. 

As he slowly drifted down from the high, Cas nodded, smiling at the awe in Dean's voice. 

"But I didn't even touch you down there!" Dean protested, and Cas shrugged. 

"I guess I'm just sensitive?" He offered, and Dean stared at him for a few seconds longer before a lascivious grin split his face. He chuckled as he bent down toward Cas again.

"Oh, we are going to have so much fun with this," The alpha promised.

As Cas's back arched up off the bed, he couldn't help but agree.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo... SURPRISE! I just had this happen to a friend of mine, and I just had to make it happen to our poor boys. Because they don't got enough shit going on in their life right now. 
> 
> Also, poor Sabriel! I'm thinking we're going to fix that whole "no pup" thing with Mary's suggestion. Lemme know what you think about that.
> 
> Anyways, as you may have noticed, I'm only updating on weekends. Now that the school year's started back up again, I had to put myself on some sort of schedule for writing and posting and such. This way, I hopefully won't lean too far one way or the other (as in, wasting too much time writing or not writing at all). 
> 
> Okay, as always, please comment. Enjoy!


	22. Just What I Thought

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Well..." Amelia murmured. Cas looked to her, immediately anxious, but there was a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. She nodded at Balthazar. "You were right, Doc." 
> 
> The doctor looked back to Cas and Dean with a huge grin. "Just what I thought." He said smugly.

Cas stood sideways in front of the full-length mirror, his shirt rucked up around his chest as he examined his reflection. 

"Dean, honey?" He called back to his alpha. Dean, who was propped up on some pillows against the headboard, didn't look up from his Civil War book as he responded, "Yeah, babe?" 

"Do I look like I'm already showing?" Cas asked, his eyes scrutinizing the tiny curve of his stomach. "I can't tell if it's just from dinner or leftover baby fat or what..." Cas muttered. 

Dean immediately caught the anxious undertone in his mate's question. He glanced up at Cas over the top of his reading glasses, his smile reassuring.

"Babe, you _are_ pregnant. I'd be a little worried if your stomach wasn't growing." He teased gently, and Cas rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, but I'm only eight weeks! I didn't show with Alfie or Emma until the second trimester." Cas recalled.

Dean shrugged. "Maybe it has something to do with you being pregnant so soon after Emma?" 

"Maybe..." Cas murmured uncertainly, his hand smoothing over his stomach once more. Dean set his book aside on the nightstand and placed his folded glasses on top. He held out his hand toward his omega. 

"Come on. Bedtime." 

Cas smiled eagerly and padded over to the bed to join his alpha under the covers. He rolled onto his side so he could face Dean. When Dean leaned forward to press a quick kiss against the tip of his nose, he couldn't contain his contented hum. He smiled softly, and Dean paused for a moment. 

"What is it?" He whispered.

"I was just thinking how beautiful you always look." Dean commented, and Cas blushed at the praise. Dean's hand slid down to cover his stomach. "No matter what this is, whether it's the pregnancy or a little extra weight, you will always be gorgeous to me." Dean promised softly. He draped an arm over Cas's waist, his fingers stroking the soft skin there.

"I know." Cas replied. He knew from experience that Dean loved the way his omega's body softened and rounded out during pregnancy. Cas snuggled closer. "I just...I'm worried, since it is so soon after the last one." 

Dean's smile was understanding. "I get it. But there's no point in stressing over nothin', right?" Cas nodded but remained silent. "We can ask Balthazar about it at your appointment on Thursday." Dean suggested. "If there is something wrong, we'll figure it out from there. Sound good?"

"Sounds good." Cas agreed.

\----------------------

Balthazar's expression was pensive when Cas brought up his concern. 

"You're right; you didn't show until later with your first two pregnancies. I mean, there's no set-in-stone guideline for pregnancies, even with the same person, but they do tend to follow a pretty similar pattern." He looked down to scribble something on his chart. "Let's go ahead and schedule your first sonogram. We can get a read on the heartbeat, and you can get a glimpse of the little guy." 

Dean squeezed Cas's hand reassuringly as the omega drew in a deep breath. Dean pressed a kiss to his omega's temple and murmured, "Everything's gonna be fine." Cas smiled up at him gratefully but looked back to Balthazar when the beta chuckled. 

"I swear, of all the couples I see in here, you two are the grossest." He teased, and Cas blushed while Dean grinned with obvious pride. 

"Gotta keep the romance alive, doc!" He joked, and Balthazar smirked as he nodded toward Cas's stomach. 

"Oh, I have no doubt you two are doing just fine with that."

\-------------------

Cas lay on the examination table staring up at the white hospital ceiling. His mind drifted back to the first time he'd done this, when he'd come for Alfie. He'd been alone then. 

He could have brought Naomi or Anna along, sure, but he hadn't wanted Naomi's snide remarks and judgmental comments to ruin his first look at his baby, and Anna had been working. He'd cried the first time he'd seen Alfie's little form on the screen, partly from happiness, partly from loneliness. Now, though, he wasn't alone. 

He turned his head to glance over at Dean and smiled warmly. He held out his hand, and Dean took it in his own. Cas loved Dean's hands. They were mechanic's hands—calloused, big, strong from grappling with machinery—and yet, they could be so gentle and soft, so tender whenever Dean was with Cas and the kids. Dean brought Cas's hand up and kissed the back. 

"You okay?" He murmured, and Cas nodded. 

"Yeah, just thinking about how glad I am to have you here." Cas admitted.

Dean smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "Wild horses." He promised. 

From her spot by the machine, the technician, a beta woman named Amelia, chuckled. "You were right, Doc. They are gross!"

Cas and Dean rolled their eyes in unison. Balth simply shrugged, unapologetic.

Amelia was prepping the machine—or Wall-e, as she called it—as Balthazar started to explain the procedure to the couple.

"So, I know you've done this twice before, but this time is going to be slightly different. And I'm warning you, it's going to be a teensy bit uncomfortable." Balthazar cautioned. 

"Different how?" Dean asked, eyeing the instrument in the tech's hand.

"Because it's still early on in the pregnancy, we can't do an over-the-stomach reading like before. It won't pick up anything. So, we're going to take that wand there," He pointed toward the transducer in Amelia's hand, "and insert it inside you to get the reading." 

Cas's grip on Dean's hand tightened, but when he looked up at Dean, his alpha's face was encouraging. Dean crouched down so his mouth was right next to Cas's ear as he whispered, "We both know that you can handle _much_ bigger than that." It was obviously a ploy to help Cas relax, but it still worked.

Cas burst out into giggles, his face flaming up red. He finally composed himself enough to look back at Balthazar, who was staring at them with an arched eyebrow, and nodded. The doctor directed him to bend his knees and spread his legs so that Amelia could reach in easily.

Once Cas was in position, Balthazar nodded at Amelia, and she stepped forward. She offered Cas a small reassuring smile before gently sliding the transducer in. Cas hissed in discomfort, and Dean's free hand immediately moved to pet through his hair as he whispered encouraging praise to his omega. 

"Just watch the monitor there." Balthazar advised, pointing to the monitor next to the bed. Both Cas and Dean turned to study the screen. Soon, a misshapen blue mass appeared on the screen with dark spots standing out in contrast against the blue. 

"Well..." Amelia murmured. Cas looked to her, immediately anxious, but there was a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. She nodded at Balthazar. "You were right, Doc." 

The doctor looked back to Cas and Dean with a huge grin. "Just what I thought." He said smugly. 

"What did you think?" Cas asked, his eyes wide. 

Balthazar pointed toward the screen. "Two heartbeats." 

Cas gasped as Dean choked on his own saliva. Neither seemed capable of coherent thought. It took several seconds of wheezing, but when Dean was finally able to speak, he uttered out a weak, "Two?"

Balthazar nodded sagely. 

"There's two babies in here?" He asked, pointing at Cas's stomach. Balthazar nodded again. 

"Oh, my god." Cas breathed out, his eyes wet with unshed tears as Dean leaned forward to claim his mouth in a grateful kiss. 

"We're going to have twins!" He whispered when he pulled back, and Cas giggled at his awestruck tone. He couldn't really blame the alpha, though, not when he was feeling the exact same way. 

\-------------------------

"Wow...that's fantastic!" Sam exclaimed into the phone. He smiled apologetically down at Gabe who was snuggled against his side on the couch. Gabe looked slightly put out that their make out time had been interrupted by Dean's call, but then his eyes lit up in that way that meant he'd had an idea. 

He smirked as he started to slide his fingers up and down the inside of Sam's thigh in gentle strokes, his fingers moving closer to Sam's crotch with every pass. Sam grabbed his hand before he could reach it and gave him a warning look. He returned his attention back to the call. "Yeah, I'll be sure to tell him. See ya, Dean." 

He set the phone down on the coffee table and then bent down to claim Gabe's mouth in a long kiss. When he broke the kiss, he kept his mouth right against Gabe's.

"You," he punctuated the word with another shorter kiss, "are just begging for trouble tonight." He muttered against Gabe's lips, and the smaller alpha chuckled, his hazel eyes mischievous. 

"And what if I am?" He teased. 

"Don't you want to know what Dean called about?" Sam asked, and Gabe shrugged. 

"His latest colon cleanse?" He asked before chasing Sam's mouth for another kiss.

Sam chuckled. "You know, he's not that much older than either of us. And no, it wasn't about him. It was about the babies." 

"Babies? As in plural?" Gabe asked, his eyebrows arching. Sam nodded and held up two fingers. "Wow!"

"You sound slightly impressed." Sam observed.

"Didn't think the old guy had it in him." Gabe admitted, and Sam rolled his eyes. 

"Well, Dean always did want a big family." He murmured, his tone wistful. Gabe glanced up at him, his eyes suddenly serious. 

"What about you? Did you always want a big family?" His voice sounded tremulous, like he was afraid of the answer. Sam smiled reassuringly as he bent down to kiss Gabe. 

"I have everything I need right here." He replied. Gabe sighed with relief and let himself be caught up on Sam's lips once again. But the thought niggled at the back of his mind. He pulled back abruptly, his face earnest and hopeful. 

"But do you really? I mean..." He trailed off, unsure of how to continue. Sam brushed a hand through his hair, his tone encouraging as he murmured, "Yes?"

Gabe drew a deep breath before rushing on, "I've been thinking about what your mom said at the super bowl party last month." 

Sam had to think a moment before he remembered the passing comment Mary had made. His eyebrows arched. "About adopting?" Gabe nodded, his teeth worrying at his lower lip in nervous habit. Sam reached up to gently tug Gabe's lip from between his teeth.

"Do you really want to?" He wondered, and Gabe nodded. 

"I want to have a family with you." He admitted hoarsely. Sam remained silent, so Gabe rushed on, "I know you'll be a great dad, and I don't want you to miss out on anything! Hell, I don't want to miss out on anything. I mean, it wouldn't be fair to not give you the big family you wanted just because I don't have the right parts, right?" 

Sam's answering grin was huge. "We'll _both_ make great parents, and your body is perfect the way it is. We'll just need to build our family a different way." 

Gabe's smile was hopeful. "So is that a yes?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah. Let's do it." 

Gabe practically squealed as he threw himself across his mate's lap. His arms locked around Sam's neck as he straddled the taller alpha's thighs to claim his mouth in a hungry kiss. When he finally tore away for air, his eyes were bright with excitement. 

Gabe rested his forehead against Sam's. "Holy shit, we're gonna do this!" He whispered breathlessly, and Sam chuckled as he dove in for another kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so I have never been pregnant, so I don't know shit about how a sonogram works. But, I did watch a few YouTube videos and read some websites and talk to a couple of pregnant friends. So, hopefully I didn't get anything too wrong. 
> 
> I've lately found myself with a glasses on Dean kink, so that's why he has reading glasses now. Also, I had him reading a civil war book bc those are the kind of books that my dad's always reading.
> 
> As for Sam and Gabe, I need to do some more research before I can even begin to approach the adoption chapters, so it may take a couple of weeks before we actually see any action with that storyline. 
> 
> As always, please comment and leave kudos!! Thank you and enjoy!


	23. I Think They're Right

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anna rolled her eyes. "Ugh, you guys are so gross. I mean, it isn't enough that you have that already," she pointed at Cas's protruding belly, "but then you have to spend the whole game making heart eyes at each other."

"Come on, Baby! You've got this!" Cas cheered from his seat on the bottom row of bleachers. Alfie turned around to wave at him, and Cas tried not to laugh as he pointed back at the tee. 

"Hit the ball!" Cas reminded, and Alfie nodded and turned back around to face the tee.

"Elbow up, Alfie!" The coach yelled from his spot near the bench. Alfie brought his back elbow up slightly before he swung and hit. The ball didn't go very far, but since most of the other team's players' attention was more focused the butterfly that had just flitted across the field, Alfie made it to first base. 

"That's my boy!" The coach called, and Cas grinned at the obvious pride in his voice. Dean glanced over at him then with a thumbs up, and Cas giggled. 

Anna rolled her eyes. She shifted her hold on Emma, who'd started squirming in her lap. "Ugh, you guys are so gross. I mean, it isn't enough that you have that already," she pointed at Cas's protruding belly, "but then you have to spend the whole game making heart eyes at each other." 

Cas's smile was smug. "Anna, I can't help it if I have the handsomest, nicest husband here." He defended. "I mean, just this morning after our shower he was telling me how much he liked my..."

"And that's enough of that!" Anna interrupted, placing her hands over Emma's ears. Cas grinned unrepentantly. 

"I was going to say maternity outfit." Cas finished. Anna glanced down at his outfit, a pair of white capris paired with a blue woven maternity top. 

"I guess it is cute. But you two are still gross." She muttered. "Plus, I thought we were supposed to support the players, not the coaches." 

"You may have come to support my son, but I'm here to support my son _and_ my husband." Cas explained with another wave to Alfie on first base.

"Looks like we've got a natural talent there!" Someone exclaimed from off to the side, and Cas looked up to find Gabe and Sam approaching. 

"Hey! Have a seat, guys." Cas offered, patting the bench behind him.

"Hey, Sis." Gabe reached down to peck Anna on the cheek while Sam waved from the other side of Gabe.

"Hey, Dorks." She replied with a grin. 

"Lemme hold her." Gabe said, holding out his arms. Anna disentangled Emma's fingers from her hair long enough to pass the baby back to Gabe, who immediately started cooing and making faces at her.

"Who's winning?" Sam asked Cas.

"Well, technically, they're all winners," Cas said with a smirk. "But we're up two to one right now."

"Nice. Uh, sorry we're late; our appointment with Jody ran a little long." Sam explained. 

Jody was the case worker who'd been helping them get approval for foster care. They'd initially thought about adopting, but after looking into the options further, they decided that foster care would be a better place to start. And, as Jody had told them, "It's not uncommon for foster families to lead to adoption."

"You're fine." Cas assured him with a smile as he turned to talk to them. "How did it go?" 

"Totally awesome!" Gabe cried enthusiastically. Sam grinned at him and shook his head fondly before turning his attention back to Cas.

"She said the home visit went well, so now she just has to draft that final report." Sam explained. "She thinks that, given how smoothly everything's gone until now, we could have a child in our home by next month."

"Oh, maybe by Alfie's birthday party!" Cas sounded excited, and Sam nodded.

Cas smiled. "That's great. Although, I am slightly surprised that Gabe got approved to be a foster parent. I mean, if I were them, I wouldn't let him within a mile of... Ouch!" He cut off with a cry when Gabe punched him in the shoulder. "Pregnant!" He chided, but Gabe just smirked. 

"Speaking of, how did your appointment go this morning?" Sam asked, throwing his mate a warning look. 

"Good; they're both healthy." Cas replied as his hand smoothed almost unconsciously over his abdomen. He turned his attention back to the game long enough to cheer loudly as Alfie ran from first to second base after Kevin finally managed to hit the ball.

He turned back to Sam and Gabe. "Balthazar says the due date will probably be sooner; he's thinking early September." 

"Wow, that's really close, actually." Sam muttered. "That's barely three months away! Should you be out in this heat?" 

Cas waved off his concern. "I'm fine. It just means I'll be a little more tired later." 

Right then, Gad and Hael's son, Inaias, got in a decent hit that actually made it past the baseline. The poor outfielders, who up until that point had had nothing to do but lie in the grass and pick flowers or spin in circles and stare up at the sky, were completely caught off guard. One boy had actually fallen asleep out there and had to be woken up by the other kids. As they scrambled to listen to their coach's harried instructions, Dean yelled at Alfie and the others to head for home. 

Alfie started for third base, laughing and kicking up dirt as he ran. Gabe and Sam jumped to their feet, cheering on their nephew as he rounded around third and headed for home. Cas was a little slower in standing, but he was cheering just as loudly when his son crossed home plate. Alfie was followed soon after by Kevin and Inaias, putting the score at 5 to 1. 

Despite it still being early in the game, the other team never quite caught up. Alfie's team won, so the team went out for ice cream at Dairy Queen afterwards. Because it was tee ball, and none of the players actually cared who had won, they invited the other team along too. The group ended up using several tables in the restaurant. 

Several of the adults sat together at a round table in the center so they could help keep an eye on everybody. Dean and Benny and Gad started discussing the bike that Gad wanted to restore while Cas and Andrea and Hael talked about the pregnancy. At one point, Dean glanced over at Cas, only to find him wearing a pensive expression. He slid an arm around Cas's shoulders and brought his lips right to his mate's ear.

"What is it, babe?" He asked, and Cas sighed.

"I kinda want another ice cream cone." The omega admitted, and Dean chuckled. 

"Babe, you're eating for three people. If you want another ice cream cone, I'll go get you one." He offered, and Cas thought about it for only a moment longer before he nodded. 

"Be right back." Dean promised as he stood and headed back toward the counter.

He'd only been in line for a few seconds when he heard, "Lieutenant Winchester!" He turned around to find Victor Henriksen, the principal of the local high school, walking toward him. He grinned widely and held out his hand.

"Victor! How are you doing?" He asked.

"I'm good, I'm good." Victor replied as he shook Dean's hand. He nodded toward the tables. "These all yours?" 

Dean chuckled and shook his head. "Contrary to popular belief, no." 

Victor smirked. "Really? Cause from what I heard, you're working your way toward a soccer team right now." Dean flushed but laughed. 

"No, sir. Not quite." He responded. 

"Not quite, or not yet?" Victor teased then laughed as Dean's flush darkened. "You know I'm just messing with you." 

Dean shook his head ruefully. "We are keeping busy, that's for sure." Victor guffawed and slapped him on the back. 

Once he'd stopped laughing, he spoke again. "You know, I was talking to Cole Trenton the other day." 

Dean smiled at the name. "Really? You know, I haven't talked to him in months." He admitted. 

"Yeah, he mentioned as much. He also mentioned that overseas, you were the go-to mechanic for everything. Said you were pretty good with machinery and cars?" 

Dean nodded. "I'm okay." 

"Do you still do mechanic work?" Victor wondered, and Dean nodded. 

"Yep! I work down at Singer's Auto Repair for Bobby Singer." He explained.

"That's good, that's good." Victor mumbled, almost to himself. He looked thoughtful for a moment before looking back up at Dean. "You know I've never been one to beat around the bush, Winchester." Dean nodded, but didn't interrupt. "The auto shop teacher who's been at the school for twenty years just had a stroke last week, so he's going into retirement. I'm looking for a part-time teacher to fill his spot. Sound like something you'd be interested in?" 

Dean's eyes widened. That was definitely not where he had pictured their conversation going. He smiled weakly. "I'm honored that you'd ask, but I don't really have any education training." 

Victor shrugged. "Eh, that's not a problem. I'd just have you do a few online training sessions with the state, you'd take a super easy test, and that's it." 

Dean thought for a few seconds. "When would I start?" 

"When the school year starts in late August." Victor replied. 

Dean grimaced and rubbed the back of his neck. "That's right before the twins are due." 

"Ah, so you'll be pretty busy." Victor said, and Dean nodded. 

"Honestly, I am honored you'd ask. But I'm sure there are other better-qualified people who could fill the job." 

"Not really. According to Cole, you can fix damn near anything with an engine. And from what I've heard and seen, you have your life pretty well in order. My students need someone they can look up to, and I think you fit that bill." Dean looked ready to argue, so Victor held up a hand. "Why don't you take some time to think it over? Talk to Cas, see how you both feel about it. It would only be a couple hours, a few days a week, plus you'd get state employee benefits." 

Dean nodded. "I'll think about it." He promised. 

Victor pulled out his wallet and handed him his business card. "Call me when you've made your decision. Sometime in the next month, please." 

Dean took the card and stuck it in his pocket. "Will do, Sir. Thank you." He shook the principal's hand again and then the other man walked away. 

\----------------------

Dean didn't have a chance to talk to Cas about it until after they'd tucked the pups into their beds, when they were snuggling up in their own bed for the night. The omega's smile was huge. 

"Aw, my husband the high school teacher. I bet you're going to be the one who pretends to be grumpy all the time." He kissed Dean's chin before whispering, "Don't worry, your secret will be safe with me." 

Dean smirked as he rubbed small circles along Cas's belly. "You think I'd be the grumpy one? Really? This coming from the guy who used to not talk until he got his coffee in the morning."

Cas sighed dolefully. "Yeah, I miss coffee. I haven't had it since I got pregnant with Emma, you know." 

"I know. The sacrifices we make..." Dean said with a dramatic sigh, causing Cas to giggle and hit him on the chest. 

"Don't mock me, Dean Winchester!" He warned, and Dean smiled down at him. 

"Never." He promised before kissing the tip of his nose. Silence fell between them. Cas snuggled closer against Dean so he could scent his alpha's neck as Dean continued to slide his hands along his bump.

"So are you going to accept the job?" Cas eventually asked, and Dean shrugged. 

"I don't know..." Dean murmured, his tone uncertain. 

"Because of the job with Bobby?" Cas asked, but Dean shook his head. 

"Nah, Bobby can always find guys to work for him." Dean said dismissively. "I just...I mean, it sounds like something I'd like, getting to teach kids about what I do. But, at the same time, would I really be good at teaching? And it'll be right before the twins come, so I'll want as much time as possible here with you." 

"Well, you will be good at it, so stop worrying about that. And Victor said it would only be for a few hours a week; I'm pretty sure I can manage a few hours a week, especially now that Alfie's going to be in kindergarten." Cas reminded.

"You sound pretty confident about my teaching skills." Dean murmured, and Cas smiled. 

"I am. You are the most amazing alpha I've ever known, bar none, and those kids will be lucky to have you for their teacher." Cas spoke quietly, but with conviction. 

"So you really think I should take it?" Dean wondered, and Cas nodded. 

"Absolutely." The omega replied. "If it's something you want to do, then you should." 

"But what about what you want?" Dean wondered, but Cas shook his head. 

"I want you to be happy, Dean. And it's not like this is a full-time thing you're signing on to do for the next fifty years. If you don't like it, let Victor know, and he can start looking around for someone else. But I think you will like it." 

"Yeah?" Dean asked.

"Yeah." Cas echoed.

"Well, I have til the end of the month to call him, so we'll let it sit for a couple weeks. How's that sound?" Dean suggested. Cas nodded and settled back against his pillows as Dean turned off the bedside lamp. 

He turned back to Cas, his features barely discernible as he hovered over him. He slid his hand over Cas's stomach, his fingers tracing nonsensical shapes against the fabric of the omega's pajama. 

"Love you." Dean murmured as he leaned down to brush a kiss against his omega's mouth. 

"I love you too." Cas breathed out on a contented sigh. Dean chuckled and nuzzled their noses together. 

"You know, I think they're right." Dean murmured after several long kisses. 

"Right about what?" Cas asked. 

"We are kinda gross, aren't we?" Dean whispered, causing Cas to burst out into laughter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So you may have noticed that I finally put an end chapter number. Yes, I am going to stop at 25 (that's the plan, at least) because it's a good number and I should hopefully have everyone's storyline wrapped up by then. 
> 
> But, that's still five weeks away, so don't worry, we still have a little bit of time left! 
> 
> If you have any questions or suggestions, please let me know. As always, your comments are very appreciated!!


	24. Nap Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Did we really just sneak off from our son's birthday party to _nap_?" Cas asked, and Dean snorted. 
> 
> "God, my mother was right. We're getting old." Dean muttered.

Mary was stirring up another pitcher of lemonade at the kitchen counter when she heard the back screen door open, allowing the sounds from the party outside to spill into the otherwise silent kitchen. She turned to find Jesse gently shutting the door behind him. 

"Jesse! What's up?" She asked the young boy. His smile was tentative as he stepped up to the counter beside her. 

"I was wondering if you had any more of the pie?" He asked, his tone hopeful. 

"Of course! But don't you want some cake instead?" She wondered. Jesse shook his head.

"I kinda like pie better." He explained with a shrug. Mary grinned and moved toward the fridge. 

"Lucky for you, Dean is the exact same way." She said as she opened the fridge and pulled out a covered pie tin.

"Really?" Jesse asked, and Mary nodded. 

"Yep, ever since he was a boy about your age. I'd always have to make pie and cake for every birthday."

"Cause pie's better." Dean said as he stepped into the kitchen, allowing the screen door to slam shut behind him. 

He grinned at Jesse. "How's it going, man?" 

The young boy smiled softly. "Pretty good. I was just looking for more pie." 

"Good choice." Dean said as he grabbed a couple of plates from the cabinet. He handed one to Jesse and kept the other for himself as Mary cut out two slices. "Although, don't go thinking you can eat all of it; I will fight you." 

"Dean!" Mary chastised, and Dean shrugged. A small smirk spread across her face. "You and I both know that old men like yourself shouldn't go around fighting young, spry men like Jesse. The younger guy always wins."

She winked at the young boy and Jesse laughed. Dean pretended to glare for a second before he patted Jesse on the back. 

"Why don't you take that outside? Alfie's looking for you." Dean said. Jesse nodded as he took the plate and headed back for the door. 

"Thank you, Mrs. Winchester." He called over his shoulder.

As soon as the door had shut behind him, Mary turned back to Dean. "He's so nice, Dean." 

Dean smiled warmly. "Yeah, he is. Already fits in well with the rest of the family." He murmured. 

"I'm glad Sam and Gabe got a good one. I was a little worried." She confided guiltily, and Dean chuckled. 

"Mom, you know those guys can handle anything. But Jesse seems like a good kid, and from what Sam says, he's doing pretty good so far." 

"So far, yes." She agreed as she turned back to her lemonade preparations. "By the way, if you're looking for Cas, I sent him to lie down in your old room for a little bit. Poor thing was starting to look tuckered."

"He usually is, these days." Dean admitted, and Mary smiled gently. 

"It's totally normal, Dean. You think being pregnant is hard? Being pregnant with twins is a lot harder. Trust me, he just needed a good nap. It looks like you could use one, too."

Dean sighed. "Yeah, and I feel like we're only going to get worse once the school year starts up in a couple weeks." 

Mary smiled proudly. "You'll be fine; those kids'll love you, just like we all do." Dean smiled gratefully, but said nothing. Mary's expression turned mischievous. "Why don't you go catch some sleep, too? I'll cover for you guys."

Dean kissed her cheek. "You're a doll." He placed his now empty plate into the sink and headed for the bedroom. 

The door was already cracked open, and Dean listened for a moment before he slowly pushed it the rest of the way open and peeked his head inside. Cas lay on the bed, fast asleep. It actually didn't seem like a half-bad idea, now that Dean was thinking about it. Between all of the adults at the party, the kids would have more than enough supervision. 

With one last peek over his shoulder to make sure that no one was coming, he stepped into the room and shut the door softly behind him. He slipped off his boots and climbed into bed with Cas, careful not to jostle him because he didn't want to wake him up. Instead, he shifted onto his side so he could study his mate.

Even swollen and pregnant, Cas was beautiful. He always would be. Dean smiled softly as his husband let out a half-snore before falling silent again. Within minutes, Dean felt sleep pulling at his eyelids, and he drifted off to the sound of Cas's deep, even breaths.

\-------------------

When he woke, it was to the feel of Cas's hand carding through his hair. His eyelids fluttered open to find Cas staring at him. 

"Hey." He murmured, his voice rough with sleep. 

Cas smiled gently. "Hey." 

"You all have a good nap?" Dean asked as he brought a hand over to rub Cas's tummy. The omega hummed appreciatively. 

"The best. You?" 

Dean grinned. "The best." He echoed. 

Silence fell over them for a few moments before Cas started chuckling. 

"What?" Dean asked. 

"Did we really just sneak off from our son's birthday party to _nap_?" Cas asked, and Dean snorted. 

"God, my mother was right. We're getting old." Dean muttered. Cas whacked him on the chest. 

"Speak for yourself!" He chided, and Dean smiled. He caught the omega's fingers between his and brought them up to kiss at his fingertips. 

"You know, as timeless as you may be, I really hope that if I'm growing old, you're right there with me." He admitted softly. 

"Aw, Dean. Are you saying you want us to grow old together?" Cas teased. Dean nodded, his green eyes boring into his mate's blues. 

"Absolutely." He promised, and Cas's breath caught in his throat. He leaned forward and cupped a hand along Dean's cheek. 

"Me too." He whispered as Dean leaned forward the rest of the way to kiss him sweetly. 

The chaste kiss quickly turned hungry, and soon Dean was shifting Cas backward so he could rest comfortably against the pillows as Dean hovered over him. His lips moved in tantalizing strokes against Cas's as the omega's hands slid up and down Dean's chest, pausing to toy with a nipple through the fabric of his cotton t-shirt. Dean gasped, and Cas used it to slide his tongue into the alpha's mouth, groaning as Dean's tongue wrestled with his.

Right then, the bedroom door burst open followed by a loud cry of, "They're in here!" 

Dean released Cas's mouth with a reluctant groan. 

"Gabriel!" He growled, turning to glare at his brother-in-law. 

"Whoa! You guys have got that whole matching glare thing down pat." He observed. "That'll be great for when the kiddos hit their teen years."

"Gabriel!" Cas warned. 

Gabe held up his hands in an appeasing gesture. "Hey, I just came to tell you that we're about to start opening gifts. If you wanna skip it so you can play the hanky panky, that's more than fine with me. But I will be telling everyone out there exactly what you are doing." 

Cas rolled his eyes and flapped a hand at Gabe. "We'll be right out. Give us a second, please." 

"Sure thing. I'll just have everyone wait until you're there... So don't take too much longer." Gabe cautioned before he turned away to head back outside, whistling a happy tune. 

"Your brother can be a dick sometimes." Dean muttered, leaning back down for one last kiss. 

"I know, right?" Cas murmured with a soft smile. "But he's right; we shouldn't skip our own son's birthday gifts." 

"Oh, so he's had his foster kid for half a month and he's suddenly the kid guru?" Dean teased, and Cas rolled his eyes. 

"Come on, help me up." He murmured. "We have to make sure that the toys my brothers bought him aren't too dangerous." 

Dean smirked as he helped pull Cas into a sitting position. "What? No more Remington rifles?" 

Cas slowly stood from the bed, gripping Dean's arm for support until he felt steady enough to walk. 

"No, that can wait til his sixth birthday." Cas decided as he twined their fingers together and pulled Dean from the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you who are like me and need to know who every character is, Jesse is from 5x06 "I believe the children are our future." 
> 
> Okay, also, this was just mindless fluff, so....yeah. Not much actual plot development apart from the addition of Jesse. 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed the nap as much as our boys did! Byeeeeee!


	25. None of That Now

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cas smiled softly. "Last few moments of peace."
> 
> "I feel like we should savor this," Dean said, but then his eyes slid down to Cas's protruding stomach. "But I also feel like we need to get those guys out of there. Come on."

"I'll get it!" Dean called when the doorbell rang. He opened to let Gabe in, smiling at his brother-in-law. 

"You're here early," he said, and Gabe shrugged. 

"I figured I'd pick him up before I went to get Jesse," Gabe explained. He grinned mischievously. "That way, we can go straight to the froyo place by the school."

Dean rolled his eyes. "You're going to ruin their appetites." 

"Dude, they're both boys under the age of eight. I could feed them Wonka's entire candy factory, and they'd still be good by dinner," Gabe argued. Dean chuckled as he walked to the foot of the stairs and called up to Alfie.

"Alfie, Gabe's here. You ready?" 

"Almost!" Alfie called back. Dean turned back to Gabe. 

"How're things going with the shop?" 

"Same as ever; people still getting married and having birthdays, so I'm keeping busy. How's teaching?" Gabe asked as he plopped down onto the couch. 

"Pretty good. I've got a couple of classes, and they all seem really eager to learn, you know?" Dean replied before he looked back upstairs. "Alfie, you're only staying with them for a couple of days. You don't need all your toys."

"Okay!" Alfie yelled back. He still didn't come down. 

"Where's Cas?" Gabe asked, glancing around. Dean jerked his head toward the guest room where they'd been sleeping for the past three months. 

"Resting. We'll be heading out as soon as you guys go."

"You nervous?" Gabe wondered, and Dean grimaced. 

"Kind of. I mean, I know I probably shouldn't be, but this feels so different from last time."

"They're inducing him, right?" 

"Yeah, that's the plan. Balthazar thinks it's too far past the due date." 

"Wasn't it supposed to be early September?" Gabe asked, and Dean nodded. "Well, it's only a few weeks past. Shouldn't be that much of an issue." 

"Yeah, I think it's just cause it's twins. More chances for complications, you know." Dean tried not to think about that, instead focusing on positive thoughts. "So, hopefully by tonight they'll be here. Or on their way here," Dean amended with a small smile. Right then, Alfie came running down the stairs.

"You ready to go, big guy?" Dean asked.

"Yeah!" The five-year-old cried eagerly, his Iron Man backpack jiggling up and down as he jumped with excitement. 

"Okay, go say bye to papa, and then you and Gabe can take off." Dean said. Alfie ran toward the guest room, pausing to knock before entering. 

"We've been learning about manners and Papa and Daddy's alone time," Dean explained at Gabe's arched eyebrow. 

Gabe smirked. "Oh, thank god I never have to have that talk with Jesse." 

Inside the bedroom, Alfie pressed a quick kiss to Cas's cheek. 

"You be good for Gabe and Sam, okay?" Cas admonished.

"Yes, sir," Alfie replied somberly.

"And don't fight with Jesse," Cas reminded. Alfie gave him an annoyed look. 

"Jesse and I don't fight, Papa! We wrestle." He said this like it should have been obvious, and Cas smiled. 

"I know, baby. Just don't hurt yourselves." 

"We won't!" Alfie promised. He pressed one more kiss to Cas's cheek and allowed the omega to kiss him in return before running from the room to meet up with Gabe. 

"Let's go!" He yelled, and Gabe chuckled. 

"Someone's eager. Say bye to your dad first," Gabe reminded. 

Alfie turned to Dean and wrapped his arms tight around his waist in a hug. "Bye, Dad!" 

"Bye, Bud. You behave for your uncles. Yes, sir?" Dean said.

"Yes, sir!" Alfie replied before running from the house, leaving Gabe to follow behind. 

"Call us with any news," Gabe said as he walked out the front door and shut it behind him. 

Dean walked back to the guest bedroom where Cas lay and smiled down at his omega. 

"You ready?" He asked, and Cas nodded. 

"About as ready as I'll ever be, I suppose," he murmured. Dean wrapped an arm around his shoulders and helped him sit up. 

"You've got everything?" Cas checked, and Dean smiled. 

"Yes, I've got the overnight bag all packed and everything," the alpha assured him. Cas smiled softly. 

"Last few moments of peace."

"I feel like we should savor this," Dean said, but then his eyes slid down to Cas's protruding stomach. "But I also feel like we need to get those guys out of there. Come on." 

\------------------

When they arrived at the hospital, Cas was immediately sent in for an ultrasound to determine the position of the babies. Balthazar and the second obstetrician, Dr. Humphrey, studied the screen together for a few moments before Balth turned back to Cas with a small smile. 

"Good news! It looks like both babies are still in position for a regular channel birth," he said. "So we'll go ahead and start with the prostaglandins; that should set things in motion and we can see how it progresses from there, okay?"

"Okay," Cas murmured, squeezing Dean's hand and smiling up at him. He could tell his alpha was more nervous this time, even though Dean tried to hide it. 

"We've got this," he promised, the words familiar and comforting for them both.

Dean brought their hands up and kissed Cas's knuckle. "I know." 

\---------------

"Uncle Sammy?" The voice was soft and hesitant, so timid Sam nearly missed it. Sam glanced up from the sheaf of papers in his hand to find Alfie standing in the doorway of his office. He smiled at the picture the young boy made in his Batman onesie. 

"Alfie, what are you doing out of bed so late?" Sam asked, glancing at the clock on his desk. It was nearly midnight, which was a few hours past the boys' bedtime. 

"I couldn't sleep," Alfie admitted sadly. Sam held out a hand toward him, and Alfie moved forward to crawl into his lap. 

"What's on your mind?" Sam asked, and Alfie shrugged. 

"I miss Papa and Dad," Alfie sighed. "They always tuck me in and read me stories."

"Didn't Gabe read you a story?" Sam asked, and Alfie nodded, but his little face looked so disappointed. 

"Yeah, but he didn't do the voices as good as Dad does," Alfie confided. Sam smirked; Dean had always done the voices for him too. 

"Yeah, your dad's good at that stuff," Sam said. Alfie looked up at him, his face suddenly anxious. 

"What if he doesn't read to me anymore?" 

Sam's eyebrows furrowed. "Why wouldn't he read to you?" 

"They'll be busy with the new babies," Alfie murmured softly. 

Sam smiled reassuringly. So that's what this was really about. "You're right, babies take a lot of work, but that doesn't mean they'll stop spending time with you. Did they stop reading to you when Emma was born?" 

"No," Alfie answered, his voice turning hopeful.

"Right, and they're not going to stop now. They'll have to split their time up a little more, sure, but they won't stop spending time with you or loving you," Sam assured him. Alfie smiled gratefully and nodded. Sam pressed a quick kiss to the top of his head. "Come on, let's get you back to bed."

\---------------

The call came early the next morning at breakfast. 

"A boy and a girl. Everything went perfectly!" Dean enthused, his voice filtering over the speaker on Sam's phone. 

Gabe grinned across at Sam. "Dude, we are going to have some epic sleepovers when these kids get old enough." 

Sam rolled his eyes and spoke to Dean instead. "What are their names?" 

"Claire and Adam," Dean responded. "They're in the nursery now, and Cas is still in recovery." 

"So everything's good? No extra heads or conjoined limbs?" Gabe asked, and Sam kicked him under the table. Gabe let out a yelp of indignation at the unexpected attack and glared at his mate while Dean chuckled. 

"Thanks, Sammy. Maybe if Cas is feeling up to it later, you guys could come by?" 

"Sure, just call and let us know when," Sam said. 

"Will do. Love you, Alfie!" Dean called. 

"Love you, Dad!" Alfie called back around a mouth full of waffles. Gabe chuckled and pressed the icon to hang up the phone. 

"We are so gonna be the cool uncles," Gabe enthused as he scooped up his own forkful of waffles. 

"I am, at least," Sam agreed with a smirk. 

Gabe rolled his eyes. "We're mates now; we count as a single entity."

"I'll still be cooler," Sam goaded as he stood and carried his plate to the sink. 

\------------------

"You did so great," Dean murmured into Cas's hair. The omega smiled and hummed contentedly as he stared down at the little pink bundle in his arms. He looked over to study the matching blue bundle in the alpha's arms.

"We both did," he responded softly. He lifted his face for a kiss, and Dean readily complied. "I couldn't have done this without you right here." 

"I know," Dean said. He pressed another kiss to the tip of Cas's nose, causing the omega to giggle. 

"None of that, now!" Balthazar chided as he strode into the room. "Unless you want to be back here in another few months? I mean, we could try to put the room aside on permanent reserve for you," he suggested with a wink.

"No!" Cas and Dean responded in unison. Balthazar could only smirk and shake his head.


	26. Family Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Family time with the entire clan

Cas was yanked from sleep by the abrupt wail that sounded over the baby monitor. He groaned and rolled over, staring at the bright green lights as they lit up with the sound. He sighed heavily and slowly sat up. He felt Dean shift behind him on the bed, and when he glanced back, Dean was also sitting up.

 

“I got it, babe,” He told his mate. “You sleep.”

 

“No, you got Emma earlier. I’ll go,” Dean rumbled, his voice deep with sleep.

 

“You teach in a few hours; get some more sleep,” Cas urged. Dean stood and held out his hand toward Cas.

 

“Come on, we’ll take care of it together.”

 

Cas smiled and took his hand, allowing Dean to pull him up from the bed. Dean pressed a quick kiss to his mouth before tugging him from the room and down the hall toward the twins’ nursery.

 

As they sat in the matching rockers that Bobby had made for them, they spoke quietly to the twins and each other. Dean rocked Adam while Cas fed Claire and then they switched so that Dean was rocking Claire while Cas fed Adam.

 

“I’m so glad we were able to wean Emma off before they got here. I don’t think I’d have enough milk to feed everybody otherwise,” Cas murmured with a chuckle.

 

“I have complete faith in you and your magic milk,” Dean assured him, and Cas rolled his eyes.

 

“My magic milk appreciates it, I’m sure,” he muttered dryly.

 

\-----------

 

That Saturday, they had family dinner over at John and Mary’s. As usual, Naomi and Anna joined as well. Also like usual, there were several different conversations going on at once.

 

At one end of the table, Dean and John discussed the classes Dean was teaching at the high school.

 

“How’s the Mustang coming?” John asked Dean, referring to the ’65 Mustang Dean was helping his students restore.

 

“Good. I had them put in a 428 Cobra instead of the 289 V-8,” Dean said, and John nodded.

 

“That’ll run nice.”

 

“I think so. I think I’m going to have them working on the carburetors next,” Dean explained.

 

“Makes sense,” John agreed as he shoveled another fork full of mashed potatoes into his mouth.

 

At the other end of the table, Mary cooed down at the small pink bundle she held while Naomi simply smiled down at her blue bundle. At just over a month old, the twins were already spoiled rotten by both their grandmothers, although Mary tended to display her emotions more outwardly than Naomi.

 

“You’re both already getting so big!” Mary cooed down at Claire. “Just look at you and your brother, so beautiful and handsome! Yes, you are!”

 

Naomi looked up to Cas. “How often are they eating?”

 

“We’re trying to regulate their feedings so they eat at the same time, so about every two and a half hours. They’ve both taken formula already, but most of the time it’s my milk,” Cas replied.

 

“And Emma’s completely on formula now?” Naomi asked, glancing over to where Emma sat in Anna’s lap.

 

“When she takes it, yes. She’s starting to be more interested in big people foods,” Cas explained with a smile.

 

“That’s good,” Mary praised, smiling over at Emma. Emma wasn’t paying attention to her, though. She was avidly watching the people around her—Anna, Gabe, Sam, and the boys—while they had their own serious discussion.

 

“I like Natasha. She doesn’t take crap from anybody,” Anna said. “I mean, did you see the way she beat the sh— I mean, crap out of Clint?”

 

“Naw, Sis,” Gabe contradicted. “Tony’s absolutely the best. I mean, the boy’s got style.”

 

“Captain America’s got style,” Jesse argued.

 

Gabe gave him a disbelieving look. “Have you even seen that unitard he calls a uniform? No, Cap doesn’t have style.”

 

“Thor!” Alfie said. “He’s got a cape and a hammer and he can control thunder. Way cooler than having style.”

 

They all looked to Sam expectantly. He smirked and shook his head. “While I do think it would be cool to throw Thor’s hammer around, I have to say my favorite is Coulson.”

 

“What?!” Gabe cried in disbelief, while the others looked at him with shock. “Coulson doesn’t even count! He’s not an Avenger!”

 

“Yeah, he is. Fury called him one,” Sam defended.

 

“When?” Gabe challenged.

 

“On the TV show, Agents of Shield,” Sam replied. Gabe shook his head.

 

“Dude, the show doesn’t count!”

 

“Yes, it does. It’s canonical with the films,” Sam argued.

 

“Well, you’re . . . canonical . . . with the films,” Gabe muttered.

 

Anna rolled her eyes. “Wow, great comeback, Gabe.”

 

“Why are we even having this discussion? Everyone knows that Justice League is better, anyways,” Dean interrupted.

 

“Ew! Get away from me!” Gabe cried, inching away from Dean. They immediately started arguing about the pros and cons of their respective sides.

 

Mary chuckled and shook her head. She spoke over them to Sam. “When’s your next appointment with Jody?”

 

“Uh, Monday afternoon. We’re heading over there as soon as Jesse gets out of school,” he answered. “At this point, it’s just to make sure that everything’s working out.”

 

“That’s good,” Mary said, her smile proud. Sam smiled back before glancing over at Gabe, who was now glaring down at his plate while Dean similarly glared down at his.

 

“Now, now, boys. Let’s not fight,” Anna chided. “You’re both pretty in your own special way.”

 

\-----------

 

Once dinner was over and the table had been cleared, they brought out the board and card games and started a different game at each end of the table. Most of the adults played Monopoly at one end while Anna and Gabe and the boys played the junior version of Life at the other end.

 

Dean got out of the game pretty quick, as did Cas, but Mary suspected that they had done so on purpose, especially when they both disappeared to the living room right after. When she got up to get a coffee refill several minutes later, she poked her head into the living room to check on them, and she couldn’t help her small chuckle. Dean was sitting on one end with his head dropped back onto the back of the couch and his long legs sprawled out in front of him while Cas lay out along the couch with his head in Dean’s lap. Both were sound asleep.

 

When she returned to the table a few minutes later, she smiled at the others. “Poor things are so worn out. Maybe I should offer to watch the kids for a night. . .”

 

“We’ll take Alfie,” Sam immediately spoke up. “There’s still some of his clothes over at our place from when he stayed with us last month.”

 

“And I can keep Emma for the night,” Anna called from her end of the table.

 

“I can take one of the twins,” Naomi offered.

 

“Then we’ll keep the other one here. If that’s okay with you, Hon?” She asked, placing her hand on John’s forearm.

 

John sighed heavily, but a small smirk played at his mouth as he said, “I suppose. I mean, it’s always such a trial to have my grandkids around.” Mary smacked his arm lightly and shook her head.

 

“I’ll go ask, see if I can convince them,” she said with a wink at the others as she stood back up. As it was, they didn’t take very much convincing. Mary had no sooner finished offering than they were out the door with calls of farewell, anxious to be back to their quiet house. 

 

“Well, that was difficult,” she murmured as she sat back down, causing the others to chuckle.

 

\----------

 

That Monday, Gabe, Sam, and Jesse sat in the seating area outside of their case worker Jody’s office waiting for their appointment. Gabe was helping Jesse with his math homework while Sam answered emails on his phone. They’d only been waiting a couple of minutes before the door to another case worker’s office slammed open and a young girl rushed out.

 

“Fine! I’ll just sit here and rot!” She yelled before she dropped down into one of the chairs across from them with an exaggerated huff.

 

Gabe and Sam exchanged a concerned look.

 

“You okay there?” Gabe asked lightly.

 

“Just peachy keen, thanks,” the girl replied sarcastically, her face scrunching up. She was barely thirteen or fourteen years old, not even old enough to have presented yet, but cynicism rolled off of her in waves. Just from her air, Gabe could sense she’d been around the block a few times.

 

“Hey, just wondering,” Gabe said, holding his hands up in an appeasing gesture. “You know, looking out for my fellow man, or woman, in your case.”

 

“Yeah, like you’d care anyway. You don’t even know me,” she muttered, crossing her arms and slouching lower into her chair.

 

“Try us,” Sam spoke up, his own expression kind. The girl studied him then Gabe then Jesse for a long moment before letting out a gusty sigh. Gabe smirked; no one could ever resist Sam’s puppy-dog eyes.

 

“I got kicked out of another foster home, and I’m about to turn fourteen, so I can’t go back to the group home either. So now my dickwad of a case worker,” she made sure to yell that part, “is saying that he’s going to have to make ‘other arrangements,’” she held up air quotes as she said it, “whatever the hell that means.”

 

“Why’d you get kicked out?” Gabe asked without thinking. Sam kicked him in the leg. “Ow!” Gabe winced, glaring at his mate.

 

The girl smirked at Gabe’s obvious discomfort but kept talking, “Stupid prank some friends and I pulled.”

 

Gabe’s eyes lit up. “Ooh, I always love a good prank. What’d you do?”

 

“Our biology teacher, Uriel, is a total dick. So, last weekend while he was out of town for some education convention, some friends and I decided to paint his house for him in the middle of the night—neon green and orange.”

 

“Haha! Fantastic!” Gabe cried, a mischievous smirk spreading across his face. “Wait, so if you did it in the middle of the night, how’d you get caught?”

 

“Apparently he had cameras outside his house,” the girl grumbled.

 

“Aw man! Cameras are the first thing you check for. You know, take a bike ride past his house and scope out the place at least a week in advance,” Gabe advised.

 

“Wait, Uriel . . . I think Dean mentioned this at dinner the other night,” Sam recalled. He smiled at the girl, “Do you go to Free State?”

 

“Yeah, actually I do,” She answered warily. “Who’s Dean?”

 

“He’s the auto shop teacher there,” Sam replied.

 

The girl smirked. “Oh, the hot one? Lemme tell you, much easier on the eyes than Mr. Daniels who used to work there.”

 

“Right?” Gabe cried. This time, Sam elbowed him in the side, earning another “Ow!” Gabe glared at him for a moment before continuing. “It’s in their genes to be freakishly good-looking. I mean, just look at this one.”

 

“So you’re Mr. Winchester’s brother?” She asked, and Sam nodded. She looked to Gabe. “So who are you?”

 

“I’m his mate,” He said, pointing at Sam.

 

Her eyes narrowed. “But you’re both alphas.”

 

Gabe nodded. “Yep!”

 

She thought about it for a moment before nodding. “Cool. My name’s Krissy, by the way.”

 

“I’m Sam, this is Gabe, and that’s Jesse,” Sam introduced them, pointing to each in turn.

 

Jesse offered a wave and smile. She jerked her chin toward the two alphas. “They okay?”

 

“Nicest I’ve ever had,” Jesse replied with a shrug. “I mean, I’ve only been in two other homes, but theirs is the best so far.”

 

Sam and Gabe exchanged soft smiles but didn’t comment on it. Right then, Jody’s door opened, and she stepped out to greet them.

 

“Hey, guys. Why don’t you—” She started but was cut off by Krissy turning around in her chair to say, “I wanna go with these guys.”

 

Jody arched an eyebrow at her. “Okay. . .”

 

\------------------

 

“Look, guys, it’s completely up to you. From what Jackson’s said, she seems like a problem case, but being in a strong home like yours could make all the difference. I mean, Jesse’s doing great with you all,” She pointed back out toward the waiting area where Jesse had gone to wait while they discussed Krissy. “The state does allow up to four kids per home, and you all have more than enough space for her.”

 

Sam glanced over at Gabe, and Gabe nodded slightly with a smile before he looked back to Jody. “I was a problem kid, too, but I had my mom, who didn’t really give me any choice but to turn out right. Even when I went completely off the reservation after college, I knew she and my family were there for me.” He didn’t say it specifically, but Sam knew he meant after Bartholomew. Gabe smiled over at him. “And now look where I am. So yeah, if it all works out on your end for this to happen, we’ll do it.”

 

“Awesome. I’ll work with Jackson and see if we can’t have her in your home by next week,” Jody said with a broad smile.

 

“Ooh, just in time for Thanksgiving!” Gabe enthused. 

 

Jody smiled and nodded. “Yep, and everyone should have a family for Thanksgiving.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! So, I have some big projects coming up due next week, and as per usual, I've procrastinated until the last minute. So, because I'm going to be hella busy working on those this weekend, and to celebrate the beginning of October, I'm posting this week's chapter a little early!
> 
> Enjoy!


	27. All You've Gotta Do Is Ask

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Family dinner

“You all ready?” Dean asked as he stepped into the living room with the twins’ car seats held in either hand. Cas was seated on the couch with Emma in his lap, tugging her tiny hand through the sleeve of her little yellow winter coat.

“Just about. Is the van warmed up enough?” His omega replied as he zipped up the coat. 

“Yep, I started it with the remote five minutes ago, so it should be all warm and toasty for us,” Dean explained. Cas smiled at him, his eyes wrinkling at the corners, before standing and glancing around. “Where’s Alfie?” 

“Right here!” Alfie called as he ran down the stairs. He stopped four stairs from the bottom and took a flying leap to the ground below. Cas sighed heavily and shook his head. 

“Hey!” Dean called, causing Alfie to freeze. “What did we say about jumping off of stuff in the house?” 

Alfie had to think for a moment before he responded hesitantly. “Don’t?” 

“Right. We don’t need you breaking anything, either in the house or on you,” Dean reminded, ruffling Alfie’s hair as the young boy joined them in the living room. Cas left Emma seated on the couch for a moment while he grabbed his son’s coat from the coat tree by the door and helped him into it, along with a scarf and gloves. He glanced down to his feet to make sure that his Avengers boots were on correct feet. 

“Do I have to wear all of this?” Alfie griped, and Cas nodded. 

“You don’t want to get sick, do you?” Cas asked, and Alfie released another gusty sigh. 

“I won’t get sick, Papa!” He promised, causing Dean smile. The alpha quickly hid his smile when Alfie looked up at him and put on his stern expression instead.

“Alfie, it’s the middle of December; you’re wearing all of your winter stuff,” Dean said, his tone ringing with finality. Dean checked the twins one last time to make sure their car seats were totally covered while Cas picked Emma up from the couch and fitted her against his hip. 

“I think we’re ready,” Cas announced, and Dean nodded and opened the door, allowing Cas and Alfie to exit first before shutting the door behind them and double-checking to make sure that everything was locked up. 

Alfie ran ahead to the minivan and climbed into the very back, buckling himself into his booster seat while Dean placed Claire’s rear-facing car seat into the bucket seat in front of him. Cas reached in to buckle Emma into her car seat in the very back next to Alfie and then clicked the bucket seat in front of her into the upright position so Dean could place Adam’s rear-facing car seat there. 

After double checking that everyone—or rather their car seat—was securely fastened into place, Dean pressed the button to automatically shut the back door of the van before climbing into the driver’s seat. He glanced over at Cas, who was still settling into the passenger seat. “You know, I think we get a little better at that every time.”

Cas smiled fondly. “We get better at everything every time.” 

“Yeah, we do!” Dean exclaimed with a wicked grin, causing his mate to blush and chuckle. Dean leaned across for a quick kiss. As Cas met him in the middle for the briefest of kisses, a loud cry of “Ew!” erupted from the back seat. Dean pulled away from the kiss and rolled his eyes. “Kids these days.” 

Cas smirked and settled back into his seat as Dean put the van into reverse and backed down the driveway to the road.

“Christmas music!” Alfie cried from the back seat. Cas glanced back at him. 

“What do we say?”

“Christmas music, _please_ ,” Alfie enunciated the last word succinctly, and Cas nodded and turned back around to turn on the radio. “Jingle Bells” filled the car, and Alfie immediately started singing along with some made-up words about Batman and Robin. Emma didn’t know the words to either version, but she still tried singing along in her own made-up babble.

Cas shrugged before joining in at the top of his lungs, and Dean wasn’t long in following.

——

When they arrived at the restaurant, they unloaded everyone and hurried inside, waving at Ellen behind the counter as they headed toward their usual booth. Alfie scrambled into the booth first, and then they placed the car seats on either side so that Dean was next to Claire and Adam was next to Dean. Emma sat in a high chair at the end of the table so that both Dean and Cas could feed her. 

Cas handed Alfie the children’s menu and told him to pick out something to eat. 

“Mac and cheese,” Alfie decided without even glancing at the menu once.

Dean shook his head. “You had mac and cheese for lunch yesterday. Pick something else.” 

Alfie looked down at the menu and studied each of the pictures before deciding on chicken strips instead. Dean and Cas were glancing over their own menus when the waitress walked up. They both glanced up at the _tsking_ sound she made, and Dean’s face broke out into a huge grin. 

“Jo! You’re back!” He cried, standing to pull the younger omega woman into a hug. 

“Yeah, and from the looks of it, I missed a few things,” She said, her tone indignant. “When were you going to tell me about this?” She asked, pointing around at all the kids. “I mean, a girl goes away to school for a couple years, and when she comes back, her friend—who’s more like a brother, mind you—has mated and started his own soccer team!” 

Dean grinned unrepentantly. “I would’ve written you, but I’ve been a little busy.”

“I can see that!” She cried before finally allowing her face to settle into a warm smile. She turned to Cas. “Hey, I’m Jo.” 

“Yeah, I remember,” Cas assured her. He smiled across at Dean fondly. “You were our waitress for our first date.” 

“That’s right!” Dean cried, looking back to Jo. “That was right before your freshman year of college.” 

“And now look where we are. I’m about to earn my degree, and you’re about to get signed on for some reality show about big families or something,” Jo teased good-naturedly. She glanced at Alfie who was busy scribbling all over his kids’ menu. “Although, I’ve gotta say that I don’t think I’ve been gone that long.” 

“Nope. Alfie was already here when we started dating,” Dean replied with a nod. Cas smiled as he recalled that first date; he’d been so nervous, so hesitant about starting anything at all. As he stared across at Dean, he was once again grateful that Mary and Anna and Dean had kept at him until he'd finally given in.

Cas smiled softly and hooked his feet through his mate’s under the table. Dean grinned across at him before glancing back up at Jo. “How’s school?”

“Good,” she replied. “I just have to take four more classes, and then I’ll be done.” 

“Do you have plans for after?” Cas wondered, and Jo nodded. 

“Yep! I’m going down to Peru for a year,” She said. “I’m going with a group that works with local schools and orphanages to provide help for kids there.” 

“That sounds awesome!” Dean exclaimed.

“Yeah, I’m excited. Speaking of kids, how old are these little guys?” 

“Alfie turned five in mid-August,” Dean said, pointing to Alfie on the other side of Claire’s car seat. He pointed to Emma next. “Emma turned one in the beginning of September, and the twins were born in late September.”

“Wow, all right in a row there!” Jo exclaimed, smiling sweetly down at Emma. 

“Yeah, we planned it that way. Makes it easier to remember them all,” Cas explained dead-pan. Jo arched an eyebrow, her expression asking the obvious question: Are you serious?

Dean chuckled and shook his head. “He’s joking. We planned on having a big family, but not quite … this big, this fast.” 

“Well, you did say you wanted a big family,” Cas reminded.

Jo snorted and rolled her eyes. "Well, mission accomplished!"

\--------------------

Cas and Dean buckled the kids back into their seats, and Cas pressed the button for the door to close. He started to turn away when Dean paused him with a gentle touch to his arm. 

“You know, I’ve always had a special place in my heart for this parking lot,” he teased as he slid his arms around his omega’s waist.

“Oh, really?” Cas asked with an arched eyebrow, his arms reaching up to loop around Dean’s neck. 

“Definitely. It’s where I had my last first kiss. Places like that shouldn’t go unappreciated,” Dean explained as he dipped down to claim a quick kiss from his omega. When they pulled back, they both wore matching smiles. 

“Definitely,” Cas agreed. Dean opened the passenger door for Cas so he could climb in before heading around to his own side to start the car. The car ride home was much quieter than the ride there had been, since Alfie and Emma were starting to droop. 

It didn’t take long for them to get the two older kids through their baths and bedtime routines, including the usual story from Dean and the good night kisses all around. Once Alfie and Emma were both down for the count, Cas and Dean sat in the matching rockers in the nursery so Cas could feed the twins before putting them to bed as well. 

Then they sat wrapped up together on the couch in the living room enjoying the quiet, talking quietly. After a lull of silence, Cas noticed Dean glancing around the living room. 

“What?” He asked softly, and Dean frowned down at him. 

“We’re going to need more room, once the kids start getting older. I mean, they’ll probably want their own rooms, right?” He asked. “We might have to start looking at different houses.” 

“I suppose. Plus if we have more kids, we’ll definitely need more rooms then,” Cas reasoned, and Dean snorted. 

“Yeah, let’s not talk about that just yet,” He murmured. 

“What? Weren’t you the one who wanted the big family?” Cas teased. Dean rolled his eyes. 

“Yeah, but as it stands, we barely have enough hands for the kids we have. Let’s at least wait until the twins are walking on their own,” Dean suggested, and Cas nodded. 

“That sounds feasible,” He agreed. He glanced around the living room and sighed. “It won’t be easy.” 

“No, I suppose not. You’ve been here for a while,” Dean murmured, his arm tugging Cas tighter against his side. He felt Cas’s head nod against his chest. 

“Yeah,” Cas murmured softly. “You know, I realized that I was in love with you right there.” Cas pointed toward the front door. 

Dean glanced over to where he was pointing and smiled. “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” Cas echoed. 

“When was this?” Dean wondered, and Cas pressed a soft kiss against his chin as he murmured, “Right after our first date.” 

"I didn't realize I'd made that much of an impression!" Dean admitted, and Cas shrugged. 

"You were exactly what I needed, just like I was exactly what you needed. We needed each other." 

Silence lapsed between them until Dean murmured, "I still need you, more and more every day." 

"I still need you, too," Cas assured him. "I always will." 

Dean pretended to sigh heavily. "Fine, I guess I can stick around for a while." 

Cas grinned up at him as he slapped him on the chest. "Care to reword that?"

"Yeah," Dean whispered, brushing a kiss to the top of Cas's hair. "I guess I'll just stick around for ever." 

"That's just what I wanted to hear." Cas murmured.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter has been changed; i originall intended for it to be a flashback chapter to the boys' first date, but then I took those segments and turned them into their own chapter (chapter 5 I think...?) 
> 
> Anyways, this is now just a chapter showing them as a family unit.


	28. The Wrap-Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Epilogue

A burst of laughter floated up the stairs and through the open bedroom door, causing Cas to grin down at his baby girl on the changing table. She smiled back, one tiny fist waving up at him. 

"Your daddy's got a loud laugh, doesn't he?" Cas cooed softly. Claire's smile widened, her bright green eyes scrunching up happily. 

Cas could still remember the first time he saw eyes that exact shade of green, staring at him over the receptionist counter in Mary's office. He'd thought right off the bat that they were the most beautiful color he'd ever seen, and now as he looked into his daughter's matching eyes, he found that he still agreed wholeheartedly with that thought. 

He continued talking as his hands moved deftly through the familiar movements.

"Your daddy's laugh is the best sound in the whole wide world, so bright and open and happy." Claire's tiny tongue slipped out to swipe at her lip, and Cas shrugged. "Well, it's my favorite, at least. And I get to hear it every single day." 

The baby suddenly looked past Cas and let out a half giggle. Cas scented the air and felt his body relax at the familiar scent of his alpha. He didn't have to turn around to know that Dean was making silly faces at their younger daughter from behind him. 

"Of course, your first laugh would be for him," Cas sighed. 

"Sorry, what was that?" Dean asked, and Cas turned to find the alpha leaning against the doorframe, his expression smug. 

Cas sighed. "You got her first laugh," he conceded. "You win the bet." 

"Yeah, I do!" Dean smirked and sauntered into the room, shutting the door behind him with his foot. He stepped right up to Cas, his hands moving to grip the edge of the changing table behind him, effectively caging his mate in. "Now what was my prize again?" 

"You know, I don't really recall right this moment," Cas replied, squinting his eyes in that way that Dean found adorable. 

"Really?" Dean asked. "Nothing coming to mind about serving me home-made pecan pie in a sexy maid's outfit?"

"Nope, nothing like that," Cas persisted. "Although, maybe with a little help..." Cas's eyes dropped to Dean's mouth. 

"You know me, always willing to be of service," Dean murmured as he ducked his head toward Cas. The omega curled his hands in the front of Dean's shirt and lifted his face to welcome his kiss. 

"I've missed you," the alpha whispered against Cas's lips, his hands moving from the edge of the changing table to grip Cas's hips. 

"I didn't go anywhere," Cas reminded, but Dean shook his head. 

"I know, but I never get you to myself anymore," he explained. He pressed his mouth to Cas's again, groaning deep in his throat as Cas began to shift against him. "You know, we could sneak off again like last year," he suggested. Cas smirked.

"Yeah, and then we'll be here changing infant diapers again next year," he reasoned, but Dean shook his head as his lips moved to suck along Cas's neck. 

"We'll be careful," he promised. "I'll be so, so careful with you, baby." 

Cas's head dropped back to allow his alpha better access, sighing happily as Dean's hips rolled against his. "Well, if you promise to be very, very good..." He breathed. 

Dean chuckled and slid one hand from Cas's hip to cup his jaw so he could angle Cas's head and deepen the kiss. His tongue had just found its way into Cas's mouth when the bedroom door swung open and Alfie and Jesse ran in.

"Uncle Gabe said to tell you that the ball's dropping in fifteen minutes," their son yelled before the boys were running back out into the hallway. 

"Are they always kissing?" Jesse asked as they ran back down the stairs.

"Yep," Alfie replied. 

"Grown ups are so gross," Jesse grumbled.

"Yep," Alfie repeated. 

Back up in the room, Dean groaned and dropped his head into Cas's neck. 

"I am going to kill your brother," he growled, and Cas sighed. 

"I know," he murmured as he ran a soothing hand down Dean's back.

"Next time they ask us to babysit, it's going to be a big, fat no," Dean promised. 

"I know," Cas replied again. 

"Or maybe I'll send the boys after _them_ the next time they disappear during Sunday dinner," he suggested, and Cas giggled. 

"Be nice to our brothers. It's gotta be hard getting alone time now that they have a teenager in the house," he chided.

"They have trouble getting alone time?" Dean asked, his tone incredulous. " _They_ have trouble getting alone time? No, they should try having four kids at once. Then they'll definitely never get any alone time!"

Cas smiled and nodded. "Trust me, I know." He pecked Dean's lips once more. "Come on. We should get back downstairs." 

Dean reached behind Cas to scoop Claire up against his chest, smiling at his little girl as she yawned widely. "You're so beautiful," he murmured. He looked to Cas and winked. "Just like your papa." 

Cas blushed but didn't contradict him like he would have once upon a time. Instead, he allowed himself to bask in the praise from his mate. 

They headed back down the stairs, their hands linked between them. When they reached the bottom, Anna was immediately there to take Claire, her expression warm as she turned away to show her youngest niece off to her new girlfriend, an alpha named Ruby she'd met through work. 

As Dean and Cas passed through the dining room, Cas smiled at Krissy, Gabe and Sam's newest foster addition, who was eagerly asking Michael's latest girlfriend about her job. 

"So you plan weddings..." She clarified, and Pamela nodded. "But you won't ever marry Michael?" 

"Pretty much," Pamela agreed with a smirk in Michael's direction.

"We'll see about that," Michael challenged just as Dean pulled Cas into the kitchen.

Cas could absolutely understand why Pamela, after planning eight of Michael's failed marriages, was hesitant to become mate number nine. But if Michael's behavior was any kind of indicator, Pamela's decision was the perfect way to keep him on his toes. 

"Call me crazy," Dean muttered as he served himself a slice of the pie that Gabe had brought, "but I think they're going to make it." 

"I think you're right," Cas agreed as he pulled a fork from the silverware drawer. Dean took his hand again and pulled him out toward the living room where the others were already gathered. 

"And then the whole display case exploded!" Gabe was shouting, his arms waving wildly, his eyes bright and animated. "Milk and eggs went flying everywhere." 

Both Alfie and Jesse, seated on the floor in front of the couch, burst out into giggles at Gabe's outrageous expressions. Emma, who was seated in Lucifer's lap, clapped and giggled along with the boys, even though she had no idea what was going on. 

Dean glanced at Sam, whose arm was loosely wrapped around Gabe's shoulders. Sam rolled his eyes, and Dean grinned. When Gabe turned back to look at Sam, the taller alpha automatically schooled his features into an innocent expression. 

"Right, babe?" Gabe asked, his eyes mischievous. 

"Absolutely," Sam agreed, nodding earnestly.

Mary and John sat together on the love seat, chuckling at the obvious exaggerations in the story. Mary shifted a sleepy Adam from one arm to the other, shushing him softly when he whimpered in protest.

The only seat left was the recliner, which Dean pulled Cas toward. He settled down into the seat first then tugged Cas down to sit with him so that the omega was partially on the chair and partially on Dean's lap. Dean pressed the button to lift the leg rest, sighing in contentment as the seat reclined backward. Cas snuggled up against his chest and tangled their legs together.

"You two are worse than teenagers, you know that, right?" Sam chided. Dean's smile was smug as he wrapped a long arm around his omega and pressed a kiss to the top of his hair.

"Don't be jealous," Dean admonished. 

"Don't be gross!" Gabe shot back. "Besides, the kissing isn't supposed to start until _after_ the ball drops!" 

Dean glanced at the countdown clock in the corner of the TV screen and groaned. "But we've still got four minutes to go."

"Not four whole minutes!" Cas gasped, the corner his mouth lifting in a smile. "How will we ever pass the time?" 

Dean looked longingly down at the plate of pie that Cas held, and the omega chuckled. He scooped up a fork full and brought it to Dean's mouth. As Dean's lips wrapped around the fork, Cas's gaze dropped to his alpha's mouth.

Cas was just about to lean in and press his own lips against Dean's when a pillow bounced off the back of his head, startling them both. 

"Hey! Not until the ball drops, you two!" Gabe scolded. Cas blushed and giggled while Dean glared at his brother-in-law.

"Try throwing pillows at my mate again and see if I don't jump acro—" Dean began to threaten, but Lucifer interrupted from where he was sitting between Gabe and Naomi on the couch. 

"Now, boys. Let's be civil, ring in this new year on a good note," he encouraged. He grinned mischievously. "Besides, Dean, they are called _throw_ pillows for a reason." 

"Oh no, don't go starting that!" Dean pointed an accusing finger at Lucy, and the older man chuckled. Dean turned his stern gaze on Gabe and the boys, "No pillow fights!"

"Why are you telling me?" Gabe cried. 

"Because you're their ring leader," Dean explained. Gabe sputtered indignantly at the accusation, but Dean ignored him in favor of winking down at his mate.

Cas smirked and brought his lips to Dean's ear. "I love when you use your stern teacher voice," he mumbled just soft enough for Dean to hear. 

"Well then, maybe you should misbehave more often," he teased. 

"Will you spank me if I do, Mr. Winchester?" Cas goaded. 

"Absolutely," Dean promised with a grin.

Blissfully unaware or their conversation, Gabe was still protesting Dean's accusation.

"Hey, at least you're the leader of something," John pointed out. 

Gabe considered it for a moment then shrugged. He looked back to Sam, "I'm a ring leader, babe." 

"Wow, a ring leader of kids. I'm so proud of you," Sam dead panned, and Gabe smacked him on the thigh. 

"Hey, show the leader some respect," he scolded. 

"Guys, get in here! We've got less than a minute," John called back toward the others in the dining room. 

Dean took the plate from Cas and set it down on the side table next to the recliner. 

"We can save the rest of that for next year," he teased. 

Cas rolled his eyes. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that was a dad joke," he pointed out. 

Dean nipped at his jaw. "Shut up, I'm hilarious." 

Gabe suddenly burst put with "TEN! NINE! EIGHT!" 

The others joined in the countdown, some calmer, others not. The younger boys started yelling right along with their ring leader. 

Cas and Dean were oblivious to the noise, wrapped up as they were in each other. The omega stared right into Dean's eyes as he whispered, "Three,"

"Two," Dean whispered back. 

The _one_ was lost between them as their mouths met in the middle. Dean's arms tightened around Cas, pulling him in closer as whoops and cheers of _Happy New Year_ erupted around them. 

"Eeew!" Alfie and Jesse cried unison as Gabe yanked Sam into an enthusiastic kiss. The other couples in the room all leaned in for their own kisses, some light and teasing, others long and intense. 

John and Mary pecked each other lightly on the lips. John smiled warmly at her as they parted. "Did you ever imagine that hiring that quiet little receptionist would result in all of this?" 

She shook her head, her eyes bright with unshed tears as she looked around at all of the people in their living room. 

"Oh, for god's sake, don't cry!" John pleaded. Mary dabbed at the corner of her eye with her hankie. 

"Shut up; it's New Year's, and my whole family is here, happy and safe. I'm allowed to get emotional." 

John smiled and leaned in to kiss her temple. "I suppose." 

When Cas and Dean finally broke apart, Dean rested his forehead against his mate's to stare into his eyes.

"Happy new year, Mr. Winchester," he whispered. 

"Happy new year, Lieutenant Winchester," Cas whispered back. 

"I can't wait to spend the rest of this year with you," Dean confided. 

"I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you," Cas replied. 

Dean sighed wearily, but his eyes were happy. "You always gotta one-up me, don't you?" He teased. 

Cas pulled him in for another kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, I'm feeling so emotional right now!!! After close to four months of working with these particular characters, I'm finally bringing this verse to a close. 
> 
> I tried so hard to wrap up any and all loose ends; if I didn't, I do apologize. To paraphrase the great and illustrious Chuck: endings are a bitch. 
> 
> As you probably noticed, the title for the fic has changed. I've actually been trying to come up with a real title for a while, and this title came to me last night while I was editing. I think it reflects what happened to both of our boys throughout the story.
> 
> Thank you so, so much to all of the readers who've patiently stuck with me throughout. You all were always so amazing and encouraging with your comments and feedback. I feel absolutely overwhelmed by the amount of positivity I get from you. Thank you, thank you, thank you!


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